


Severity Contained

by theseverityofit



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-07
Updated: 2015-08-07
Packaged: 2018-04-13 11:31:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 28,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4520250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theseverityofit/pseuds/theseverityofit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Torrance graduated from the magical academy of Eldennon, he lost contact with his best friend. Fifteen years later, he runs into her, only to find her a different person. She's been busy, and he finds himself drawn into her world. The magical community has some unpleasant hidden truths</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys! This is my entry for the Jupiter Challenge, based on an outline that I wrote when I was fifteen. This is the first writing I've done in years, and the first story I've completed in much longer. Let me know what you think!
> 
> Thanks go out to my beta readers, Sean and the Beard, as well as the Jupiter Challenge mods for putting so much work into making this challenge for everyone. Also to that anon on tumblr who asked "if they're wizards, why are they also black?" You really helped motivate me to finish this story.

Every Saturday, Torrance went to the market. His apprenticeship had a wide range of duties when he wasn’t working on his own research -- mostly helping to find old books full of obscure facts -- but it was also part of his job to fetch lunch and do the shopping. Emmeline, his master, was an incredibly old woman. While still quite spry and skilled for her age, she preferred to stay inside and get the young man to take care of household drudgery. He certainly didn’t mind. After all, the chores mostly took care of themselves or were done by servants, and his apprenticeship would end in less than a year anyhow, so a few trips to the market were worth it to get Emmeline’s good word.  
The market square itself was on the border of the city’s commercial area, just off the main road leading to the Hub and its characteristic fountain that served as the city’s midpoint. While it was mostly surrounded by ramshackle buildings that housed some of the city’s more unsavory elements, Torrance, like many of the market’s patrons, was only there to purchase savories. He and Emmeline lived a little way from the town in her manor, which was only separated from this dingy part of the city by dense woods. They were usually left to their own devices, since without the shortcut through the trees, it was a good hour’s walk to get there.  
As he perused the loaves on display in the baker’s shop, a sudden shout of excitement came from outside. “Do it again!” It sounded like a child. A crowd appeared to be gathering outside around someone else in the square. Curious, he walked out the door to investigate if it was a street performer or some other travelling show come to town -- not a rare sight in the capital.  
The youth was tall enough to see over the milling audience, and his bronze skin and naturally silver hair were distinctive enough that people left him a berth without thinking. Even if he hadn’t been, the flashes of purple fire snaking upwards towards the sky would have informed him that a magician had come to town. A gasp ran through the crowd as the ball of fire burst in the sky above them, showering down harmless sparks. Torrance chuckled, shaking his head -- a simple illusion, he knew now, but certainly impressive to anyone who hadn’t been raised in the magical world. Still, something about it looked distinctive to him in an odd sort of way.  
As he glanced about the crowd, his eyes caught on a young woman lingering near the back of the crowd. Her frame looked uncomfortably skinny, her hair mussed, and her dull violet dress rather threadbare; Still, there was something he thought he recognized about her. As he stepped closer, she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, brushing her thick mass of hair around to one shoulder. Sure enough, there, on her neck were three long claw-like scars extending down from her jawbone to past her shoulder to mar her overly pale, almost blue-toned skin. The marks were still dark and red, even though it had been years since their creation. His eyes widened slightly -- he knew he had recognized that magic. “Isabel?” he called, stepping towards her. “Isabel, is that you?”

 

“Are you alright?”  
“Yes, Torrance, I’m fine, I’ll be fine. It’s nothing.” The Eldennon Academy for Magical Arts and Spellcraft’s infirmary was a series of small dark rooms in the castle’s basement. While moisture certainly wasn’t good for young, ill wizards, the reasoning was that healing spells were relatively quick and easy magic to perform even for beginners, so if they really wanted to leave, they could just cure themselves using their remaining energy. Isabel shook her head, sitting up unsteadily in the unfamiliar bed.  
Torrance frowned sternly. “What did you do to yourself?” the young wizard asked sternly. “I saw a flash and then you were across the room.”  
“I told you, nothing,” she said defensively, her long fingers gripping the dull olive sheets tightly as she looked away from him. “It was just… I was trying to figure something out for the transmutation project, and I got a little bit excited because it was working well. I’m fine.”  
“It looks like you burned yourself badly. Look at that. Why didn’t you just go to the library and see if your spell already existed first, before trying to make a new one a day before it’s due?” He leaned against the doorjamb, watching her wince as she poked her own scalded flesh. “Stop prodding at that.”  
“Books are dull, and they’re harder to learn from,” she told him. “Ouch. You know I’m better at just making my own. It’s not as though -- ow -- it usually backfires on me so spectacularly.”  
He crossed his arms. “Once is too many times. What, you’re going to go looking for an apprenticeship with that thing on your neck? ‘Hello, distinguished fellows, my name is Isabel, my first magic was blowing up a barn when I was angry that my mother told me not to go down to the river alone at night, and if you’ll see this huge scar on my face, I got it doing absolutely nothing of value last week, please let me stay in your house and practice magic in it, I promise I’m a very skilled witch.’”  
“Torrance, you really needn’t worry,” she assured him, leaning back against the headboard. “Even if they can’t get it to go down, there’s always some madman willing to take someone who deals in wild magic. I’ll get something. It isn’t really on my actual face anyway. I can wear a scarf.”  
“I will worry!” he insisted firmly. “Your future-”  
“Enough, please. I will be fine. Worst comes to worst, I’ll wait until you’re done with your apprenticeship and come live at your house.”  
He laughed sharply. “Not until you learn to control yourself, you won’t.”  
“Oh, you can always get another house.” Her tone was flippant as a soft violet glow flowed from her hand to the burn marks, fading them only slightly. “Hm. How does it look?”  
“Still there,” Torrance commented, hardly deterred. “Isabel, this is serious, you know that. Your apprenticeship will determine the course of your whole life, and here you are ignoring your schoolwork to play with fire, quite literally. I just want you to be successful-”  
“Believe in me. Really. I’ll be alright. Want to get a bit of lunch?” she asked as she got out of the bed.  
Isabel and Torrance had been fast friends for the ten years since he had come to school. Torrance had magic in his blood -- his uncle was a travelling sorcerer -- and every time he came to town when Torrance was a little boy, he had begged to be allowed to read some of his books or try to memorize some hand movements or incantations. When he was thirteen, he had managed to summon a small apple on his own. Panting and exhausted, he had run downstairs to show his family. His father had disapproved, of course- magic was seen as a frivolity at best and incredibly dangerous at worst among non-magical societies. After some persuasion, they had agreed that the academy would be the best choice for him. By that point in time, she had been staying at the school for long enough to get her bearings, and she had ended up guiding him around. Their friendship subsisted on an unusual sort of agreement. They learned quickly that Torrance’s adherence to memorization and books was incompatible with her intuitive approach to spells when working on projects, but as long as they agreed that Isabel wouldn’t distract Torrance while he was working -- and Torrance wouldn’t bother her to finish things before they were due -- they got along fine.  
It was more surprising to Isabel than anyone else when she was one of the first students in their class selected to become an apprentice. Torrance wasn’t far behind, of course -- his diligence was a highly-prized quality among young wizards. Her master lived far across the kingdom, so when they went their separate ways, they wrote letters. Eventually the letters from Isabel stopped. It was sad, of course, but he supposed it was normal as the workload for an apprentice picked up. Still, to see her back in town was a pleasant surprise.

Her head didn’t turn as he shouted out excitedly. “Isabel!” he called again, slipping around the back of the crowd to reach her. “Izzy, it’s me!”  
As he neared her, she turned her head to glance at him, and blinked, rather surprised. The magician’s audience let out a disappointed groan as the purple flames blinked out of sight. “Torrance?” she said softly. “What are you doing here?”  
“Getting some bread- oh, why didn’t you tell me you were in town?” Grinning, he grabbed her tight in a firm embrace, lifting her slight form off the ground.  
“Don’t- stop that,” she murmured, pulling herself free quickly. “Listen, I’d love to talk, but right now, I really can’t.” She scanned the square quickly, and for the first time Torrance got a good look at the bags of exhaustion under her eyes.  
“Izzy, are you-” he began before she suddenly grabbed his hand and tugged, pulling him away from a pair of sharply-dressed men that appeared to be approaching.  
With a serious look on her face, she hissed, “We have to leave. Now.” Her grip still firm on his arm, she took off running down a small side street, dragging him along with her. The buildings on either side were impossibly tall; their grimy walls seeming to stretch up impossibly into the sky. This part of town was known for the houses built on houses -- it was surrounded by roads and dense forest, so when people wanted more space, up was the only way to go.  
Startled, he started jogging beside her, hearing footfalls behind them from their pursuers. “Isabel, what are you doing?”  
“Don’t call me that. Listen, we just need to get out of the way for a bit until all this blows over, then you can go back to your shopping. In here.” She stopped sharply, pulling him in through a shadowy doorway.  
He looked around -- the place appeared to be a tavern, although it was certainly difficult to tell in the dim light. “Where exactly is here? And what do you mean-”  
“Can you be quiet for a second?” she muttered, sticking close to the door. “I know it’s all very confusing, but things have changed.”  
As she spoke, the door opened, allowing a tall figure to step inside. “Are you alright, Severity?” the newcomer asked quietly in hushed tones. “I only managed to get a little bit- what happened?” Through the figure’s harsh whisper and the low light revealing few details about the shadows, Torrance couldn’t even tell the stranger’s gender, let alone who they were.  
“Yes, Rosalind, I’m fine, don’t worry- I’ve got someone with me from the academy. Here, let’s all have some tea or something and talk about this.” A few purple flames started atop nearby candles, illuminating the grimy bar around them. Torrance sniffed disdainfully, noting the rough furnishings, each item completely different from the others.  
Before he could vocalize his judgement the other person in the room stepped forward between the two wizards. “From the academy, eh?” she asked. The woman appeared a bit older than them -- it was hard to tell, since magical folks aged slowly, and Torrance was bad with ages anyhow. He almost pulled away as she stepped into the dull light, illuminating a heavily scarred face. One large one ran from her hairline to her cheek, having closed her left eye permanently, and the rest were short, choppy, and light against her dark skin. Her clothing was a mix of dull brown and gray fabrics, with a light tunic over a pair of leggings. “So he doesn’t know anything.”  
“I would like to,” he insisted, drawing himself up straight. “I thought Isabel’s master was a man.” He remembered the name, although he hadn’t heard it before or since -- Nathaniel Foxe apparently wasn’t invested in keeping himself on the lips of the wizarding community.  
She paused, blinking. “Isabel? Who’s that?”  
“Me. Sort of. Torrance, it’s… well, it’s complicated, and I’m afraid I really haven’t time to explain it. You know how it is, hard at work…” she said quickly, her eyes not meeting his. ”Anyhow, I feel as though it should be safe for you to leave now, don’t you?”  
“Leave? Listen, I’m not really expected home for a few hours, we can at least get something to eat and really catch up- I mean, I can pay if you like,” he offered quietly.  
Rosalind gave him a sharp glare from her good eye. “We would have something to eat here if you hadn’t shown up,” she grumbled.  
“Stop,” Isabel said gently before turning to Torrance. “Listen, I’d love to meet up with you- I really would- but it’s not really possible with the way the situation is. I’m sure you understand. Perhaps when things are a bit less hectic, hm?”  
Thoroughly perplexed, he nodded. “I- ah, yes, I suppose,” he concluded, noting the urgency in her voice. “Do write me when you’ve got some free time, eh? It is certainly nice to see you…”  
“I will, no need to worry,” she replied, looking at the door. “Now, please, just go home and don’t mention seeing me, if you don’t mind horribly.”  
“R-right, goodbye,” he stammered, scurrying out under Rosalind’s cautious gaze. Whoever had been chasing them appeared to be long gone, so he returned to the market, where the crowd watching the performing magician had dissipated. While the incident had left him rather shaken, he managed to return to doing the shopping, picking up all the food they would likely need for the week.


	2. Chapter 2

When he returned to the dusty old manor, he didn’t mention the brief meeting with Isabel to Emmeline. After all, he could barely explain it in his own mind; it wasn’t likely that he would be able to talk to his master about it in any satisfactory manner. The old woman seemed soft and sweet to most outsiders, but in the few instances where he had failed a basic task due to his own neglectfulness, he had discovered her tongue could be as sharp as any. She greeted him warmly when he returned, before allowing him to work on his own studies. Occasionally, he would see her short, wide silhouette pass the library door as he worked, but he wasn’t too invested in anything but his own spell construction.  
He had always been a bit jealous of Isabel in school, he had to admit. After all, she could make up spells out of nowhere, while he had always had to try and build them using pieces of other magic he had learned. An instructor at the academy had compared the varying styles of spell construction to cooking. Some people created magic like they made soup -- they took what they had on hand, threw it into a pot, and saw what came out. This form of wild magic was rare; certainly handy in a pinch when there wouldn’t be any other resources, but unlikely to do the same spell twice and prone to exhaustion. Other wizards were more like bakers of bread. They would consult books and memorize spells, and their spell construction mostly involved using the framework for older spells with new ingredients to make new variations. Theirs were the spells that were written down in books, that children were taught in classes, that got remembered, that got recognition from people who mattered . Torrance did like the idea of that, but, of course, first he had to complete his ideal water generation spell.  
It was later in the evening, the candle floating above his desk burning low, when he heard a loud knock on the door at the end of the hallway. He didn’t bother rising from his seat, as Emmeline’s heavy shuffling footsteps passed the library door to go welcome the visitor. It wasn’t unusual for late night visitors to come -- whether it was another wizard who wanted to talk something out with Emmeline or a townsperson who needed to purchase a spell, they were hardly ever turned away if it wasn’t too dreadfully late.  
What was unusual was the sudden sound of boots stamping swiftly towards the library. In an instant, the two men from the marketplace were there in the library doorway, watching Torrance carefully. Their suits were well-tailored, and of a rich material that almost seemed to shift colour from a warm burnt orange to a deep blood red as they entered the dark library and closed the thick wooden door behind them. “Young man, do you mind if we have a word with you?” the taller of the two asked, his voice deep but firm.  
“Who are you?” Torrance asked, snapping his book of neatly written notes shut protectively. It wasn’t likely that they were here for his musings on how best to draw water from thin air, but you could never be too careful.  
“We’re friends of Severity’s master,” the first man explained. “We were just wondering how you know her.”  
More confused than anything, Torrance’s nose wrinkled. “Severity? I don’t know anyone who goes by that name.”  
“Oh, come now, you don’t need to lie,” he insisted sharply. “You really oughtn’t make this harder than it needs to be. We can all get out of this unharmed.” Out of one pocket, he drew what looked like a small glass blade with an impossibly bright, swirling light trapped inside.  
“I’m not lying, I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said quietly, getting to his feet. “Please, leave us alone, you’ve got the wrong man…”  
The other man let out a snarl, sounding almost like a hungry beast. “Now, now, you needn’t get him angry. We saw you together, you just have to tell us where she went, do you understand?” the first stated.  
“She… do you mean Isabel?” Torrance asked, taking a nervous step back towards the window.  
“Where is she?” he asked, waving the knife. A spray of sparks shot out from the tip, towards the apprentice, forcing him to duck and try to hide his lanky body behind his desk. His eyes widened as he watched the sparks singe the curtains.  
For a brief second, he considered giving them the directions to the bar they had been hiding in.  
“Come now, boy, you can’t hide behind there forever. I can see your elbow.”  
“You… I won’t tell you anything!” he stammered, trying to hide the nervous crack in his voice as he drew his limbs inward. “So you’d better leave!”  
Another bolt of sparks hit the wood floor by his foot, leaving a scorch mark on the carpet and a puff of smoke. “I’m afraid you’re hardly in a position to tell us what we should do. Don’t be a fool and we won’t have to hurt you or your master, do you understand me?”  
Suddenly, from behind him, the window smashed into a million pieces, shards falling to the floor. “Leave him alone, he’s not involved in any of this,” a familiar voice said flatly.  
“Isabel?” Torrance murmured, glancing back at her. She was looking rather dishevelled, a small ball of her dark violet fire floating between her hands.  
“Ah, so you were lying about her,” the interrogator commented, smirking. “I’ll come back to deal with you later. Now, young lady, do come with me, Mr. Foxe is waiting for you.”  
She glared sharply, her muscles tensing. “Torrance, get ready,” she murmured between gritted teeth.  
“For what?” he whispered back, but before she could answer, she waved her hand, sending the ball of flame rocketing towards the pair. In one swift motion, she grabbed his sleeve, her sturdy boots crushing glass underfoot as she guided him out the window. Indigo smoke shrouded them as they made their escape onto the lawn. “Isabel, what are you doing?”  
“Don’t call me that,” she said softly. “Just come with me, we’re going back to the safe house through the woods, and come quick, that won’t hold them back for long.”  
“Right, of course,” he agreed, starting to speed up on his own. “Wait, what about Emmeline?”  
“She’ll be fine, she doesn’t know anything you didn’t tell her,” she replied under her breath. “They’ll know that- if you didn’t tell them anything about me, they’d figure you wouldn’t tell her. Thank you, by the way.”  
He looked over at her briefly, breathing heavily. The young wizard didn’t often get much more strenuous exercise than walking to the market, and the rough run through the dark woods was started to take its toll. “You… did you know them?”  
“In a way.” Her eyes remained fixed ahead of them as they neared the town proper. “They worked for my old master- he probably sent them to find me.”  
“Well, tell him that they could have just asked when you will get back. That was rather out of line for servants.”  
Her eyebrow raised slightly. “Listen, I…. I’ll be certain to do that, but let’s get safe first, then I’ll explain everything.”  
“Right. Safe.” He opted to focus on making his way through the uneven terrain of the forest. stumbling a little bit as he ran towards the town.  
She led him through the dilapidated streets to the square, and down the same side road they had taken before. They stopped in the same doorway, lit by a single dim lantern that illuminated a sign above the door, which read “The Howling Devil’s Alehouse” with a few crude sketches on either side. When they entered the crowded bar, most of the inhabitants appeared to not be paying attention to them, merrily discussing their own affairs or participating in what appeared to be a game of darts against the opposite wall. Most were dressed rather crudely and appeared to be rather worse for the wear, but the air was relatively jovial, with hardly a hand lacking a drink.  
“Keep an eye on your purse if you’ve got one,” she advised under her breath, leading him towards the bar. “I’ll just inform them that you’re with me and you should be alright, but you never know.”  
Torrance frowned slightly, glancing around at the other inhabitants. A few met his gaze with suspicious eyes. “This, ah, this doesn’t look like an exclusive sort of gathering,” he whispered.  
“You wouldn’t think so- ah, Jasper,” she said, stopping beside a man so tall that even Torrance had to tilt his chin upwards to look him in the face. “This is Torrance- he’s with me for now since he needs a place to stay for a while. Please don’t kick him out.”  
The mountain of a man turned to them, his bearded face expressionless. “What does he do?”  
“Precious little, probably, but I’m sure he can help out somehow,” she offered. “He was also at the academy with me, so if he has to stay for a long time, I’m sure he can help with something or other. Rosalind knows, and there is room for him.”  
He took a long pause. “I suppose. I heard about what happened this morning, by the by- don’t let it happen again, understand?”  
“Of course not,” she promised quietly. “I am sorry, but, you’ll understand, it was a once in a lifetime event.”  
“I’m sure it was,” he replied, looking Torrance up and down cautiously. “You two get to bed- it’s late.”  
She chuckled softly. “We’re older than you, Jasper. Good night.” As she began to leave the confused Torrance away towards the stairs at the back of the room, she shook her head. “Good, he likes you.”  
“He likes me? How do you figure that?”  
“You’re still here. He’s- well, he’s not really in charge of this place, it’s sort of a community, but he helped set it up.”  
“What is this place, anyhow?” Torrance asked curiously.  
She paused before opening a door, starting up another flight of spiralling steps. The walls were papered with various scraps of different designs, and every little while there was a small door with a candle by the entrance. “It’s… It’s a gathering place, sort of, for people who haven’t anywhere else to go. We try to keep it quiet, you’ll understand, but generally it’s just a place where we all trust each other and work together to keep everyone fed and healthy. Everyone contributes a little bit to make sure we’re all alright.”  
“If you trust them so much, why did you ask me to watch my purse?” he continued. “Who exactly are these people, Isabel?”  
“First off, don’t call me that, please. Second, it’s kind of hard to explain, but they’re mostly people on the fringes of society who do what they have to in order to get by. You know, people who have to stay in hiding for certain reasons.”  
Torrance let out a slight huff -- both of disdain and from climbing the seemingly endless staircase. “Listen, I know I might be wrong about this,” he began slowly, “and I don’t want to accuse anyone of anything, but I think these people… they might not be the sort of people you want to associate with.”  
“Why not?” Severity asked. “They’re not really bad people, mostly just criminals.”  
“Criminals? What?” he asked, shocked.  
“Petty criminals, nothing too serious for the most part, just theft and things like that,” she continued, stopping at one of the doors. “Here we are, come on in.”  
He stopped still in his tracks. “No, I can’t stay here, I’ve never done anything illegal!” he insisted. “We have to find somewhere else!”  
“No, we don’t. They’re good people,” she told him flatly as she opened the door to what appeared to be a small apartment with a living space and two other doors on either side. “And it’s a lot safer in here than it is out there for us.”  
“Severity!” Rosalind stood from one of the roughly-hewn chairs near a table by the wall. “Are you alright? You’ve been ages.”  
She smiled, turning her attention to the dark-skinned woman. “Yes, yes, I’m alright- we both are. They showed up to try and get him after all, so I had to take care of it, and now he’s here.”  
“Why can’t we go back to your master’s house?” Torrance asked, crossing his arms defensively over his thin chest. “I… I don’t want to be here.”  
“Don’t mind him, Rosalind,” she said quietly. “Torrance, I left there, and I can’t go back. I have no wish to- this place is a far better place to be for us, right now. You must trust me.”  
He frowned sternly, looking over at Rosalind. “Do you promise nobody will steal my things while I sleep?” he muttered distastefully.  
“I’ll be able to contain myself,” Rosalind replied flatly. “I doubt you have anything valuable on you. Do go to sleep, will you? There’s a bed in the room to your right.”  
Torrance turned to Severity, who was leaning slightly against the wall. “Rest,” she instructed him. “It will be fine- we’ll figure out what to do with you in the morning.”  
“Then we’ll talk,” he promised seriously, starting towards the bedroom as Rosalind hurried to Severity’s side. “And we’ll get you out of this place and back home.” With that, he shut the door, looking around the squalor that was his room for the night. While he wanted none of it, he had to conclude it was late, and he lay down in the lumpy, hard bed that was the sole furnishing of the room. It didn’t take him long to fall asleep, the room quiet barring the whispered conversation in the next room that he could only half hear.


	3. Chapter 3

“Morning.”  
“Hm? Oh. Yes. Morning.” Torrance had just walked into the main room to find Severity hunched over the table, her head resting in her hand as she dozed. The position was familiar to Torrance from the classes they had shared, especially three-hour lectures on theory. It was unusual that she would wake with just a word and not a firm shake of the shoulder, but it was certainly the same concept. The table around her was surrounded by scrawled letters, most on the same dull gray paper with dog-eared edges. “Did you sleep well?”  
“Not particularly,” he replied. His back was aching- the thin mattress was nothing compared to the lovely soft one he had back at home. “What are you doing?”  
“Trying to set up somewhere nice for you to go so you can get out of here,” she replied, stretching her arms. “Just waiting for a few replies to some letters to arrive. There’s probably breakfast downstairs if you’re hungry.”  
While he didn’t want to return downstairs, he had to admit that it had been almost a day without food and he was getting rather uncomfortable. “I suppose. But first I want you to tell me what’s happened. Why can’t we just stay with your master?”  
“Because I left,” she stated flatly. “I can’t go back, so here I am. I’ll just try to get you somewhere else.”  
Torrance stepped forward, leaning on the table. “I don’t want to go alone. Isabel, I want you to be safe too, you understand?”  
She sighed deeply, her gaze firmly on the table. “Well, I can’t really be safe anywhere right now, Torrance, so I’m doing what I can. My master asked me to do something I couldn’t, and now I’m here. And by the by, it’s not Isabel anymore, do you understand?” Before he could confirm, she waved towards the door. “I would like to get a bit more sleep before I wait for my contacts to respond, if you don’t mind.”  
He shook his head. “I will be back,” he replied, starting to the door. As he made his way down the twisting stairs, he was left to wonder about what could possibly have happened to the girl he used to know. While she was hardly dutiful, he assumed it wouldn’t be like her to run from whatever simple task she had been assigned. Issues with authority, of course, but he assumed she could put up with it for the fifteen years.  
“Oh, you’re up,” Rosalind said. She was leaning back over a chair at one of the small tables downstairs. There were a few men unconscious around the room, but besides them and a few other people starting to eat breakfast, they were alone. “How is Severity?”  
“Tired,” he commented, looking around. There was a small set of plates, with a bit of bread and what looked like smoked fish on the bar, and so he went to serve himself up some. “Looks like she was up all night. What was she doing?”  
“Trying to free you from this horrible circumstance, most likely. I hope you let her rest, she needs as much as she can get nowadays just to get by.” She shook her head seriously, the short black curls of her hair bouncing.  
Torrance glanced briefly at her. “What were you two doing yesterday when I spotted you, anyhow?” he asked.  
“Simple con- she came up with it, but it’s a variation of an old one. Find a street performer who’s going on some hard times, then she offers to help him put on a magic show. She does her flashy thing, and while people are distracted by him, I’m lightening purses. Even if people connect the robbery to the show, all three of us are long gone,” she explained before taking a bite of her breakfast.  
He put the plate down on the table next to her. “You are aware that’s stealing? And you don’t think it’s wrong?”  
“Considering that on Saturdays, that market is mostly rich people who could afford to go elsewhere but come to our square because everything is cheaper and buy up everything good for purchase, no, I don’t think it’s too wrong,” she replied, her good eye flicking to Torrance’s face. “What were you doing there, anyhow?”  
He responded first by taking a large bite of the offered bread, a burning flush coming to his copper cheeks. “Yes. Well. So you’ve got Isabel in your criminal ring, then?”  
“It’s not as bad as it sounds. I’ve done worse than steal, boy, and from what I’ve heard, she’s better off here being needed than wherever she came from. If she minded, I assume she wouldn’t have come up with the con.” Rosalind idly toyed with a stray thread on the sleeve of her dark green linen shirt. “You know, she’s old enough to take care of herself. I know she looks young- you do too- but you have to realize, a non-magical person at her age would be already well into raising children or running a business.”  
He frowned sternly. “Well, I think… I mean, she looks tired, I don’t think she’s really doing that well here, to be completely honest with you. Has she been able to do anything to recover power after casting spells?”  
Rosalind paused. “She’s been sleeping a lot,” she offered casually.  
“That’s not… you don’t know how magic works, do you?” he asked her sharply. “To properly recover from heavy spellwork, you don’t just sleep- you have to engage in something that makes you feel calm and at peace. It’s different for every wizard, but you learn early what works for you. What has she been doing besides helping you?”  
Rosalind took a moment to consider, looking down at the table. “Planning other things, mostly,” she replied, a rather worried look coming to her scarred face. “You think she’ll be alright? She’s a bit single-minded about what’s going on, and I’m not sure I could get her to stop if I wanted to.”  
“I’ll talk to her,” Torrance promised. “No need to worry- once she gets a chance to spend time on whatever she loves, she’ll be fine.” He got to his feet with a confident nod.  
She paused. “I suppose- if you can talk her into it, feel free to,” she agreed slowly. “But I don’t think she’ll want to, she’s fairly busy.”  
“Which is the problem. I’ll take care of it, don’t worry. We’re friends, I know how she works.” Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a rather skeptical expression on Rosalind’s face as he turned back to the stairs, holding his slice of bread. This time, however, he opted to ignore her disapproval, travelling steadfastly back up the candlelit staircase. His legs were beginning to tire by the time he reached their small apartment.  
As he pushed the door open with a resounding creak, Severity turned her head to face him. She was holding a letter on thick, ivory paper and looking rather relieved. “Ah. Good news,” she commented. “I’ve managed to find somewhere for you to wait until this all blows over. Called in a few favours, and a ship leaves the harbour tonight that will take you right there.”  
Torrance paused, rather taken aback. “A ship? How far away is this place?”  
“A few day’s travel,” she replied. “You’ll be staying with a good friend of mine over in Thirius, and I’ll send for you when it’s safe.”  
“Wait, now,” he said. “Thirius is too far away- I can’t just leave the kingdom. I’ve got some contacts here, and especially now, in the last leg of my apprenticeship, I need to promote myself if I’m going to go anywhere with my career.”  
She raised her eyebrow. “Torrance, I thought you didn’t want to stay here.”  
“I don’t- I want to go back home,” he insisted.  
“I’m sorry- I really am- but they’re still looking for me and they know where you live. If you’ve got another option, I’d love to hear it.”  
“Listen, Isabel,” he said slowly, silently praying she would be able to understand. “There is another option that will probably help both of us.”  
“Really?” she asked. “What is it?”  
“You’ve been running yourself a bit hard lately,” he continued cautiously, watching her. “And it might be best- I mean, hiding all the time is tiring, isn’t it? If you went back, I mean, they’d stop following me, and you’d be able to properly rest up-”  
“No.” Her voice was cold and flat.  
“Why not?” he asked. “I think you’re being awfully unreasonable.”  
“Absolutely not.”  
“Well, what are you going to do, then?” he asked, stepping towards her. “Just live your life in hiding? You’re putting yourself in danger, and me, and Rosalind, and for what, because you didn’t want to bring in wood for the fire or some other task? That’s your job as an apprentice, Isabel, and-”  
“Don’t call me that.” Behind him, the door slammed shut, cutting him off.His head whipped around at the noise, seeing nothing but a faint violet glow rapidly fading around it. “Is that what you think this is?” Severity asked, her tone sharp. “You think I just didn’t want to work?”  
He blinked, glancing back at her. “You said you couldn’t do what he asked you to.”  
Her steel-gray eyes flashed indigo for just a second. “You’re right, I couldn’t. Do you know what he did? What he asked me to do?” she snapped, her gaze fixed on Torrance.  
“I assume research-” he began quietly, unwilling to look away from her.  
“Oh, research, yes, of course,” she snarled. “You wonder why you never heard about him? Why you’ve never seen anyone come back to the academy saying ‘oh he’s a bit of a hand at the grindstone but you’ll be fine’ or even ‘no he’s awful don’t work with him?’ His research is done with his apprentices as subjects- and it’s been working. He takes you in, acts polite, assigns you a new name- the one before me was Malice, one before that was Grimm- and then he starts the experiments as soon as he’s got you out of yourself and feeling like a different person. I was lucky that I lived. He’s got no regard for our safety or anything else- he just takes our power, and nobody’s been stopping him.”  
“Your… your power?” Rather shocked, his voice weakened into a stammer.  
She nodded, seemingly calming a bit. “Yes. My magic. That’s what his main project is. Channelling other people’s magic into a vessel that he can access, to make himself more powerful. That’s why I can’t get back to my former strength. He’s been sapping from me for the past fifteen years. It’s a painful process that apprentices can die from if he takes too much. It was dreadful- he’d tell you ‘Oh, Severity, I really ought to just try something quickly-’ and before you can think, the pain sets in and next thing you know it’s two days later, you can’t remember anything but the searing in your skin like you’ve been on fire and the feeling that you used to be just that much better at conjuring. It isn’t all at once, and you can feel the magic leaving you.”  
“So you ran to save the rest.”  
“Not quite. I finally ended up running because he informed me that once he took what was left I would be… he had promised me as a wife in order to have his voice in the ears of people above his station. I couldn’t let that happen.” She glanced away, a strong red flush of anger coming to her pale cheeks. “And I’m not going back now. I am sorry, I’m putting you all in danger, but I’m not going back until I can stop him.”  
“No, don’t be sorry. What are you going to do?” Torrance asked her curiously, rather chastised.  
She shook her head. “I’m not certain. I’ll figure it out. Anyhow, do you want to leave and get out of this mess?”  
He took a short moment to think. “I’d rather stay and help you, if that’s alright,” he offered shyly.  
“Are you completely certain?” she asked sternly. “It’ll be dangerous. Nathaniel’s proven that he’s willing to kill for whatever benefit he’d get out of this, and I don’t really know what the plan is yet.”  
“I’m probably safer here with you,” Torrance decided. “And you’re definitely safer with me here- I still have my magic, so if you need any spells. And once all this is done, I’m sure Emmeline will be willing to help you finish your apprenticeship with her.”  
Shrugging, she crumpled up the letter in her hand. “Having you around might come in handy, actually, there’s somewhere I want to sneak into,” she began.  
“Is- Severity-” he corrected quickly. “Where are you sneaking?”  
“Tonight there’s supposed to be a meeting at the palace,” she explained, leaning on the wall. “Between Nathaniel and the prince and everyone else who’s involved- Nathaniel wants to move his research to a bigger building and get a bit more freedom. I want to find out what’s going on.”  
“Aren’t you worried they’ll recognize you?” Torrance asked, taking a bite of his breakfast. “You’ve lived in Nathaniel’s house for fifteen years.”  
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. They’re disguising it with a masquerade ball, so it shouldn’t be too hard, there’s a mask somewhere around here for me.”  
He blinked. “Wait, you’re going to a masquerade ball at the palace? Do you mind if I come with you?” he asked suddenly.  
“What?” she asked. “This won’t be much of a party for us, you know.”  
“I know,” he said, perhaps a bit too quickly. “But, well, I’m worried, and I think it might look a bit less suspicious if you come with an escort anyhow.” He offered a slight awkward smile- he wasn’t technically lying, he was worried about Severity. He couldn’t really help if helping her required that he attend a lovely party.  
She sighed deeply. “Oh, very well, I’ll see if there’s any clothes that would fit you in storage,” she agreed. “But you must promise not to draw too much attention to us, understood? We’re just going to go in, get some information, and get out.”  
“Understood,” he agreed firmly. “I mean, if we must dance to help us blend in I wouldn’t mind, but-”  
“We won’t dance.”  
He sniffed slightly. “You might not, but it’s important to socialize if you want to appear like you belong, you know. Besides, you really ought to try and relax a bit, you look exhausted.”  
Severity shook her head, moving past him to open the door. “We’ll see how the night goes, but there won’t be much dancing. We’ll have to keep an ear to try and find out where in the palace the meeting will be.”  
“You know, you are missing out on a lot- I’ll bet the palace is actually stunning on the inside,” he said wistfully, following her back out to the stairway. “I can only imagine it. A royal ball- it’ll be so lovely.”  
She shrugged casually. “Eh, they’re not too bad, but they’re far too ostentatious for my tastes.”  
He stopped in his tracks, looking skeptically at her tangled hair and slightly torn, dull brown dress.. “You’ve been to royal balls.”  
“I’ve only been out of Nathaniel’s service for a year or so. He likes to keep up with royalty, so I’ve been to a good few now.” Her nose wrinkled slightly at the thought as she began climbing upwards. “I wouldn’t be too excited, they’re really not that much fun. Everyone there is involved in politics to the point where they’re not really there to enjoy everything, and you have to be completely aware of who’s in conflict with who so as not to get either of them upset by paying more attention to one than the other- it’s more trouble than it’s worth.”  
“But you’ve been to balls before. And it should really be more fun this time, if you’re not trying to impress people on his behalf,” Torrance offered. “Plus I’ll be there. I’m sure you’ll have a fantastic time.”  
She raised one thin eyebrow. “Mm. I’m sure your presence will add something to the evening. Ah, here we are.” They stopped on a landing, in front of yet another identical door, this one boasting a heavy steel lock.  
“Where exactly are we?” When he leaned out over the splintered banister to look up, he could finally see the shadowy ceiling of the staircase. He took the opportunity to glance down, and immediately regretted it –- while the evenly-placed glowing candles weren’t much to see by, he could easily tell that the way down was far more than he’d be comfortable falling, even if he did have a spell in mind to prevent hitting the ground.  
She appeared to be focusing on the lock. “Call it a vault of sorts. It’s where we keep things that might be valuable that we collect. Hush for a moment.”  
“Where’s the key?” he asked, holding onto the banister protectively.  
“Isn’t one.” As she spoke, the gentle violet glow suffused the lock and it popped open. “Ah, there we are.”  
Torrance frowned. “Why not?”  
“Jasper didn’t bother trying to steal the key that matched as well.”  
He was about to protest –- locks were surely cheap enough that stealing one seemed rather counterproductive –- but when she opened the door, he was stunned. Light was filtering through the dusty air from a rather dirty window at the end of the room. Inside were racks full of clothing, the fabrics looking impossibly luxurious given their downtrodden settings. “What is this?” he breathed, stepping in to lightly feel a swath of rich red velvet. “These are beautiful.”  
“There are some suits over by the wall there and a box of masks in the corner,” she replied, smirking slightly. “Pick something that fits you and let’s go.”  
He turned back towards her. “Well, I can’t just pick something not knowing anything- what are you wearing? We can’t go mismatched. Far too conspicuous.”  
She shrugged casually. “Not sure. Rosalind picked something out- I think it’s blue.”  
“Well, that’s helpful. I’ll see what I can do,” he muttered.  
“Good enough. Mind if I go down to the Devil and get my breakfast? Be sure to lock the door when you’re finished.”  
He shook his head. “You go ahead, I’ll need to try some of these on and look around. I can take whatever I need?”  
“That’s how it works- just be sure to bring it back once you’re done. You can leave it in your room, nobody will go in there. Have fun.”  
“Oh, I will,” he replied cheerfully as she started down the stairs again. The suits, while not quite as unique as the dresses, were all incredibly well-constructed and seemed to be of the finest material the young apprentice had ever had the chance to wear. After just a bit too long of deliberation, he selected a suit of deep indigo silk that almost shimmered in direct light from the window. Mentally, he resolved not to inquire as to where the suit came from, since he had to admit it was beautiful and fit him rather well. That certainly seemed a lot easier than trying not to use anything that had once been stolen in a place like this. Quickly, he moved over to the crate of masks and selected a simple black one with a hood over it, since even in his inexperience, he was aware that the contrast between his hair and skin was unusual in these parts. After quickly glancing in an ornate old mirror, he nodded; the masque seemed to be of an executioner, which was grim but functional. Deciding that would be good enough– especially without knowing what Severity had chosen to wear – he rested his new suit carefully over one arm, trying to avoid wrinkling the delicate fabric, and descended the stairs to their quarters.


	4. Chapter 4

When he returned to the Howling Devil, Severity and Rosalind were seated at the table, holding a quiet discussion. Severity’s breakfast sat nearly untouched on the scuffed surface as they leaned over, murmuring to one another. “I, er, I found a proper suit,” he said loudly, not wanting to walk in on anything too private.  
“Oh, good, yes,” Severity said, smiling uneasily. “I trust it won’t take long for you to prepare.”  
Rosalind looked warily up at Torrance. “I do wish I could go as well.”  
“I know, but there weren’t any masks that could cover your face well enough- you know, if you would just let me heal those scars… I’m certain I could do it, possibly even give you your eye back, I’m sure it wouldn’t take too much power-”  
The young wizard was cut off by Rosalind’s muscular arm sliding across the table, putting her hand on her shoulder. “We’ve discussed this- you don’t know how much strength you have, so it’s far too dangerous. I’d rather have one eye- no eyes, even- and have you safe than take that sort of risk.”  
Severity’s face, pasty from lack of sunlight, reddened visibly. “I, er, if you’re sure…” she began awkwardly.  
“I am. Perhaps when you regain your former power, we’ll talk about it. Now, it’s almost noon, we really ought to get you ready for the ball. It’ll take a few hours at least- we’ll have to brush out your hair, get you dressed and looking all proper- come along, now.” She stood, a light smile playing about her lips.  
Severity grumbled, “You know, I am older than you,” before getting to her feet.  
“I know, I know, but you don’t want to be late,” Rosalind chided. “Besides, you’ll look lovely in your dress, I’m sure of it.”  
“Right, right- Torrance, don’t leave the building. We’ll just be a short while getting ready,” the wizard managed to say before Rosalind whisked her away. He opted to let them prepare for the ball in peace, taking a leisurely meal for himself.  
When he returned to the apartment, he could hear a hushed, rather sharp discussion coming from Severity’s room.  
“Look, I told you, it doesn’t fit-”  
“Not if you don’t pull it tight. Here, let me get the ribbons.”  
“What are you doing- agh! What is this?”  
“It’s just to give you a bit more shape.”  
“It’s digging into my hips. What if I need to run?”  
“Then you magic it away. I’ve seen you do that before with bigger things.”  
A long sigh. “You’re not getting me out of this contraption, are you?”  
“Not until the ball is over. Let me fix your hair, it’s a mess.”  
“I look ridiculous.”  
“Wrong. You look different than usual, but- hold still or I’ll never get the tangles out- I think you will look wonderful and sweep everyone off their feet.”  
“Oh, hush, you.”  
Chuckling to himself, Torrance went to go get properly dressed up. Even back at the academy, Severity had never had much of a flair for dressing up or attending events –- he had to talk her into going to the graduation ceremony, and that didn’t even involve anything fancier than a loose-fitting silk robe. By the time he had put the suit on, tied his mop of shoulder-length white hair back into a bun at the base of his neck, shined his shoes, and filled a basin with water to wash his face, the sun was starting to creep downwards towards the horizon. Picking up his mask, he exited his room and knocked on Severity’s door. “Are you almost ready?” he called.  
“Almost,” Rosalind replied. “If you would just hold still-”  
“It tickles. What is that?”  
“Makes your complexion look more even, like you got sleep last night that wasn’t at a table.”  
“I needed to-”  
“There, we’re done.”  
The door opened, and Torrance’s gold eyes widened in shock. “Isabel…” he murmured.  
“It’s Severity,” she corrected. The gown Rosalind had selected for her fluttered lightly around her ankles as she stepped out of her room, her dark navy slippers light on the floor. The construction of the dress was unlike anything Torrance had ever seen- while the bodice, embroidered with silver threads that resembled nothing more than the seafoam on the crest of a wave, was fitted close to her body, the skirt was made of what looked like dozens of layers of sheer indigo fabric, each wispy and diaphanous piece cut so that corners hung down over the others. A scarf of the same cloth was wrapped around her neck and her upper arms, successfully hiding her scar from anyone who might recognize her by it. “And I know, it’s a ridiculous dress.”  
“No, no, you look wonderful,” he said quickly. “It’s fantastic.”  
“It’s uncomfortable and I can’t run, and there’s bits of metal in there,” she complained, crossing her arms over her chest.  
“Oh, be quiet. You are a beautiful girl, and you’ll go to the ball and nobody will suspect a thing because you look like you belong. Now look this way and hold still.” Rosalind stepped over with a small jar of red liquid and a tiny brush. Carefully, she began applying it to Severity’s lips, staining them a deep crimson. “There. Lovely.”  
A light pink could be seen under the dusting of powder on Severity’s cheeks. “Right. Ah, thank you....”  
“Don’t thank me. Just go out and have a good time.” She turned to Torrance, her smile vanishing. “Now, I want to be very clear with you- you are going to this ball to protect Severity. That’s the reason you’re there. If I find you weren’t paying attention and someone so much as lays a hand on her, I won’t be pleased, understand?”  
Rather startled, he nodded. “Of… Of course, it’ll be fine,” he stammered. “Don’t worry about us, we’ll be fine.”  
“You’d better. Now, run along- I’ll be here when you get back,” Rosalind directed, offering a warm smile over her shoulder to Severity.  
Severity returned the smile before sliding on the black leather mask over her eyes. “You’d better be,” she warned lightly as she headed out the door, Torrance following closely behind.  
As they descended to the main floor, Torrance shook his head. “She, ah, she’s a bit protective, isn’t she?”  
“Don’t worry about her,” Severity replied, gathering her skirts in one hand to prevent them getting underfoot. “She hasn’t killed anyone in years.”  
“Wait, killed anyone?” he asked, startled. “You’re joking.”  
“Not in the slightest. It’s fairly well-known here- she used to be a professional assassin before she went clean and moved to simple thievery. Where do you think she got those scars?”  
“I assumed it was an accident- yours are,” he replied, rather dumbfounded.  
“Well, I wouldn’t worry, anyhow. She’s sworn off killing, since it’s not the sort of thing you can fix easily,” she explained casually as they crossed through the abandoned bar.  
“How do you trust that she’s telling the truth?” he asked.  
She shrugged casually. “She took me in and helped me find people who would help me survive. Even if I had reason not to trust her, she’s been the most useful of anyone I’ve encountered in years. She took me out of the way enough that I wasn’t being pursued while I worked out my next step and tried to get over… well, anyway. Turn left down this alley, it leads almost directly to the palace.”  
He took the turn, stepping deftly over a puddle. “So you’re good friends with her, eh? I guess that makes sense- people make friends with all sorts.”  
She nodded, her eyes straight ahead on the narrow alleyway. The pair looked quite out of place in their luxurious outfits, the impossibly tall walls of the grimy buildings on either side towering over them high enough to block the sun and create an artificial night. “Mmhmm. Friends. Yes. So you’re ready for the ball?” she asked.  
“I think so. I mean, I’m always ready for fancy dress night,” he commented airily.  
“And if something goes wrong?” she asked. “I’ll try to stay as hidden as I can, but if it comes down to it, we might have to fight some fairly powerful people. I think there are others involved in the collection of power- if they’ve also been doing it, they’ll definitely be stronger than me, and probably you as well.”  
“I do know a few combat spells, although I hope I won’t have to hurt anyone,” Torrance replied thoughtfully, scanning his mental library. His years with Emmeline hadn’t prepared him much in the way of fighting beyond a few mice that he had dealt with in the cellars, but he still remembered the defensive spells they had learned in school.  
“Don’t worry about hurting anyone- worry about us getting out safe. We just need to stay long enough to find out the dates and location of the new laboratory that Nathaniel wants built- then we can leave and sabotage it later on our own.” She added a firm nod, her face shadowed in the dim light from the fading sun. The witch’s determination silenced Torrance’s worries. While he still had no idea what to look forward to, for now he could accept that she knew what she was doing, or at least that she wasn’t going to be deterred from her goal any time soon.


	5. Chapter 5

The city’s main road was mostly deserted except for other attendants of the ball. The cobbled street led to the center of the city, where a massive, grandiose fountain stood just outside the palace walls. Birds, cherubs, and lions were all immortalized in stone with water flowing out of their mouths. The water had slowed to a low burble as it had been a few days since it had rained, so the usual effect of the magically-propelled jets of water was somewhat lost. The castle was surrounded by imposing walls of smooth white stone that seemed to almost arc outwards over the town as the pair neared them, approaching the shining silver gates.  
Getting into the ball was easier than Torrance had anticipated. As they entered the courtyard, a servant nodded politely at them, not even stopping them to check their names. Severity nodded demurely back, barely breaking her stride through the lush gardens surrounding the palace. “Right, so the ballroom is just through the main doors and straight through. Look like you belong,” she whispered to Torrance. The palace itself was made of the same white stone as the surrounding walls, shining a gentle pink in the sunset light.  
Torrance nodded. “Right. Are there appetizers? I haven’t eaten since breakfast.”  
Her mask concealed her expression, but he was fairly certain she was rolling her eyes. “I’m sure, somewhere- can we focus on what’s important?” she hissed, before smiling politely at a woman who appeared to have been inspired by a colourful songbird in her attire.  
“I am, but I’m sure everyone wants to know where the food is,” he argued.  
“Most people have probably eaten four or five meals today. This isn’t our sort of people.”  
“What’s wrong with four or five meals?” he asked, puzzled.  
“It… Nothing. Let’s go in,” she replied under her breath, shaking her head.  
The royal family had obviously spared no expense on the lavish celebration. Every spare surface was covered in fine silks, ornamented with jewels, or used to host some intricate work of art. The room was buzzing with local nobility and foreign dignitaries alike, each with a mask hiding their face from view. Torrance spotted a large table filled with dainties and glasses of wine and made his way over swiftly, his long legs allowing him to easily bypass the crowd. His mouth full of shrimp, he glanced back over his shoulder at where he had left Severity, only to see that she was nowhere in view. Mentally, he cursed himself for losing her so quickly –- while he was certain she was capable enough to handle herself, Rosalind didn’t seem nearly so convinced. Taking another cracker and a glass of sparkling wine, he began to cut through the crowd, watching for her shade of blue.  
Luckily, it wasn’t long before he found her. Unluckily, someone else appeared to have found her first. “So you see, I feel that an alliance between Eldennon and Thirius will be mutually beneficial,” the man beside her continued warmly. “We of Thirius, of course, will be happy to see our wealth grow even more from the reinforced trading relationship.”  
“Mm.” Severity’s face, or at least the part that wasn’t concealed, was flat and motionless as she scanned the room. “Fascinating.”  
“So, my lovely lady, what brings you here tonight? Or are you just here for fun and to see if you can meet someone?” He stretched out his arm, the black satin of his sleeve resting on her shoulders as he made a move to pull her closer. Idly, he began toying with the wrap, tugging it away from her scar.  
“Ah! Yes! There you are, ah, Genevieve!” Torrance said loudly as he approached them. Gently, he took Severity’s hand and kissed it lightly. “I’ve got that wine you asked for- who is this, now?”  
“Oh, nobody at all,” she replied airily as she took the glass, offering a gentle smile back at the rebuffed man. “Thank you very much, Hubert.”  
“Hu- oh, you’re welcome,” he replied, catching on quickly. “Would you care to dance?”  
She nodded swiftly. “I do believe so- it’s been lovely,” she said, dismissing the interloper. As they moved to the dance floor, she put the glass down on a small table. “Don’t drink, we’re not here for fun. And Genevieve, really?”  
“Better than Hubert,” Torrance said, frowning. “Did you see anyone?”  
She shook her head. “Keep an eye out, Nathaniel normally goes for at least one glass of wine before meetings, and the prince should make an appearance downstairs.” Carefully, she placed one hand on his shoulder, taking his in her spare hand. The musicians were playing a rather slow number, the tempo easy to catch on to.  
Torrance nodded, placing his free hand on her waist after putting the cracker in his mouth and chewing it, rather ungracefully. “Right. I’ve seen the prince at parades and things, so I’ll keep watch for him.”  
“Thank you. Here we go,” she murmured.  
“Ah, I should probably lead. If you don’t mind.”  
“Hm? No, of course not, just don’t go too quickly.”  
“Right, right…” Severity, he found, wasn’t too bad at dancing- she at least managed to keep her steps mostly in time. He chuckled softly to himself under his breath.  
She tilted her head, frowning a bit. “What is it?”  
“Oh, nothing… do you remember the dance they threw for our graduation from the academy?” Torrance asked lightly.  
“Barely. It was a ridiculous affair. Entirely pointless.”  
“You didn’t seem to think that at the time,” he pointed out casually.  
“Oh, didn’t I?” she asked, looking up at him,  
He chuckled softly. “No, you didn’t- matter of fact, I remember you being a bit upset at the time that a certain Dromeus never asked you to dance.”  
Her rhythm was thrown off slightly by her recoiling a bit at the memory. “Yes. Well. That was- oh, look, I think that’s Nathaniel by the refreshments.” Lightly, she prodded his shoulder, prompting him to swing her around to get a better look. Helping himself to a glass of deep red wine was a man in a suit of white velvet. His mask was made of twisted white leather, leaving only close-cropped salt and pepper hair visible to the wizards. He carried a long cane, plated in silver with intricate carvings all along the shaft. Nearby, Torrance could see the burnt orange suits of the two men who had visited him at Emmeline’s house, although they appeared to be occupied in their own discussion.  
“Alright. I’ll watch him and then we follow him off?” Torrance proposed under his breath.  
“Sounds good,” she replied. “Just be sure not to take your eyes off him.”  
He nodded dutifully, watching him sip from the delicate glass. “Got it taken care of. Don’t worry so much.”  
“That’s what I do, Torrance. That’s why I’m still here.”  
He shook his head slightly. “Even Rosalind wanted you to have fun tonight. When this is over, you’re having another dance.”  
She took a deep sigh. “Fine. If we get out without them noticing us and we get the information I need, we’ll have another dance.”  
“There we go. Oh, he’s leaving.” Severity turned her head to see him disappearing up a flight of steps, leaving his servants behind. Subtly, she took her hand from his shoulder, tugging him off the floor and towards the stairs by the hand she still held.  
She crept swiftly after him, following the sound of his firm footfalls on the marble floors. Before too long, he stepped into what looked like some sort of meeting room. Silently, Severity pulled Torrance into the next room over. “Ah, perfect.” The room, which looked like a guest bedroom, had a set of stained glass doors leading out towards a balcony. She tiptoed to the door, opened it, and nodded back at Torrance. Catching her meaning, he followed her out. The sun had set, leaving the night cool and still with stars twinkling merrily above them. The balcony was shared between the two rooms, and she swiftly got down and crawled into a sitting position between the open window.  
“Prince Leander, it is a pleasure,” a low, smooth voice said.  
“And yourself, Mr. Foxe. I trust you found the wine to your tastes?”  
Nathaniel chuckled deeply. “One could say that. We do need to have a little discussion, though.”  
“Indeed. Until you fulfil your half of the deal, I’m afraid I can’t put much funding behind you.”  
“I do promise, she is forthcoming. I know she’s in the city now, and minds are easily changed once I get a chance to… discuss matters.” Beside Torrance, Severity tensed visibly, her breath catching in her throat. “We will need to start construction soon in order to stay on track with the implementation by next fall, you understand.”  
The prince sighed, and the pair heard his footsteps approach the windowsill. “Without your contribution, I’m not sure I can trust you. I’m certain you understand.”  
“Oh, come now. I’ve served as your magical advisor and your father’s before you. I’ve never led you astray before.”  
“I know, I know, but this is a big expense without any sort of surety.” Severity held her breath as he peered out the window before returning to the room.  
“But think of how it will make you look! Not only will you be the first in the royal family of Eldennon to be married to a witch- a sweet young one at that, and a girl, not too many of those, you must understand the trouble I’ve gone to- but the contributions you’ll be making to magical society… You’ll go down in history as the first in a political union between wizards and non-magical people, even if she takes longer to come around than I thought.”  
“I will, won’t I?” Leander paused. “Very well. I suppose.”  
“That’s the spirit. I suspect she’ll be here soon- from what I’ve heard, she’s probably tired of running anyhow. I can’t imagine how she survived on her own this long.” Before the prince could answer, the door opened and closed. “Ah, good, I was wondering when you’d show up.”  
A familiar voice said “My apologies- it was a lovely party.” Torrance straightened suddenly, his eyebrows raising in recognition. Before Severity could stop him, he turned and lifted his head to peek into the room.  
By the door, there was Nathaniel. His mask was on the table beside him, revealing a face deceptively fresh for his age. The cane was leaning against the wall, the handle a shining glass orb. The prince was facing away from them, a mane of thick blond hair falling to the shoulders of his warm orange suit. And at the door was the person Torrance both expected and feared seeing. Emmeline embraced Nathaniel briefly, before removing her mask. “Now, what did you want to see us about, your highness?” she asked the prince warmly.  
“Nothing, nothing now,” Nathaniel replied. “He’s agreed to start preparations for the project- by next autumn, we ought to have every student dropping in to help with our experiments as part of their training.”  
Torrance was distracted from the conversation by Severity yanking him back down behind the wall. “Are you mad?” she hissed in his ear.  
“That’s Emmeline!” he whispered back swiftly. “My master- I need to tell her what Nathaniel’s planning to do! Emme-”  
His mouth opened to call out before Severity clamped her hand over it. “I think she’s aware. Listen, you- are you going to be alright?”  
“No, she can’t know, she’s good!” he murmured through her fingers. “She only wanted to help me, and-”  
Severity looked up briefly, feeling him struggle under her hand. “Ssh. We’ll discuss this later-”  
“You can’t treat me like this! If I just talk to her, I know she’ll change her mind!” Severity’s grip was surprisingly strong as he tried to break free, her hands glowing purple.  
“No. No no no. You can’t- not now, we’ll be caught and then we’ll both be in trouble.”  
He shook his head wildly. “I could stop all of this right now! Let me free this instant!”  
“Sorry,” she murmured, before picking him up, his body taking on the slight illumination as she worked her magic. Carefully, she pulled him into the room they had entered from.  
“What are you doing?” he hissed, trying with all his might to remember any sort of counter-charm.  
“Getting you out of here without both of us getting killed. Think light thoughts.” She managed to hoist him so he was resting over her bare shoulder, the spell holding him aloft as she carried him out.  
Out of spite, he shut his eyes and concentrated on thoughts of stone, metal, and pounds upon pounds of earth.


	6. Chapter 6

She carried him through a series of skinny corridors, used only by servants, to the courtyard. “Had a bit too much, eh?” she explained to the guards at the door, her voice thick with false joviality. Torrance glared, having stopped resisting. Once they were past the hub, the streets deserted, she looked back at him. “Are you going to behave?” she asked sharply.  
“Yes, once you let me fix this,” he grumbled, crossing his arms.  
“So no. We’re going back to the Howling Devil, where we can talk about this,” she said sternly, her tone flat.  
It wasn’t too long of a walk back. Once they were there, she put him down, breathing heavily as the spell vanished. “There. Come on. We’re going back to my apartment,” she added firmly.  
Torrance got to his feet, dusting himself off indignantly. “Fine. I suppose,” he agreed glumly, allowing her to lead him through the nightly revellers and up the winding stairs.  
Rosalind looked up as they entered, startled. “You two are back early- Severity, you look exhausted! What happened back there?” She got up from her chair swiftly.  
“It must have been a trick,” Torrance insisted. “Some sort of illusion- he’s powerful, isn’t he?”  
“I’m afraid not,” Severity replied, sinking into the chair Rosalind had vacated. “I mean, it could have been, but in reality, it’s not too much of a surprise.”  
“No, that’s not right- she’s not like that,” he continued.  
“Like what? I mean, they’re ready to start work and it sounded like they were integrating it into the academy- get students in, take a bit of power while they’re young, it’s not a bad idea if you don’t mind being completely devoid of morals. I was fairly certain other wizards know and it’s not just him.”  
"But why would she do something like that? She isn't evil at all," he protested.  
"It isn't... It's not a dichotomy between good people who never did anything wrong and bad people who are always dreadful," Severity began, rubbing her temple. "This is the sort of thing that everyone in a certain level of magical society knows about. I don't know who else knows, but I can guarantee everyone back at the academy knows at least in passing. Emmeline... I don't know why she's involved. Might be the power, might be some sort of financial matter, she might just think that this sort of experiment is good progress in magical science. But she is involved in some way. I am sorry, Torrance. I really am."  
“I know,” he replied quietly, shaking his head. “But she.. she knows what’s right, she’d do something to stop it!”  
Severity held up her hand to silence him. “Speaking of doing something to stop it, did you overhear any information while you were reconsidering everything you thought you knew about your life back there?”  
He paused. “Not… not as such, to be honest.”  
“Ah. Lovely. So we still don’t know anything useful except that the plan is definitely moving ahead as soon as possible, with or without my involvement. And there was really no reason for us to sneak in at all. Wonderful.”  
“Well, dancing was nice,” he offered, before shrinking under Rosalind’s sharp glare. “But I mean, it’s true, we don’t really know anything. Ah, sorry.”  
“You should be,” Rosalind said, resting her hand on Severity’s gently. “A risk like that…”  
Severity glanced away. “Well, I suppose we’ll have to think of something, won’t we?” she said softly. “We need… I mean, there’s got to be another way.”  
“Not right now,” Rosalind scolded, placing her other hand on Severity’s shoulder. “You’re far too weak. They probably won’t have it built by the end of the week and you need to be rested before you’re any use. I know how you are with your magic- spend some time doing whatever you need to do to regain some power, hm?”  
Torrance had the good sense to look a bit ashamed as Severity glanced briefly at him. “It, well, it isn’t that easy,” she admitted. “I mean, mentally, right, this whole situation is what’s bothering me. I can’t just relax knowing that the project is still going on. I hope you understand.”  
“Of course I do, but I worry about you- they aren’t going to build it up in a week.”  
“I know,” Severity replied gently, stroking her arm lightly. “But there’s not much either of us can do about it for now.”  
Rosalind sighed softly, shaking her head, but said nothing else on the matter.  
Torrance paused thoughtfully. “I mean… there’s got to be plans written down somewhere…” he began slowly. “If we could find them-”  
“In Nathaniel’s study,” Severity said, sitting up sharply. “I can’t claim to know where the prince keeps his documents, but I know my way around Foxe Manor, and I could easily get into his office, I think.”  
“You mean I could,” Torrance corrected. “If you just give me directions-”  
“After today, not on your life,” she interrupted, her voice surprisingly firm given the bags under her eyes and the way she leaned heavily on the chair. “I’m going. You don’t know your way around and you-” she continued over Rosalind, who had just opened her mouth- “don’t have any magic whatsoever, so if he caught you, you’d stand no chance. I don’t want you in there at all, understand? And I really would rather not fight about it.”  
“I get to go, right?” Torrance asked quickly. “I promise, there’s very little else that could be that upsetting.”  
She let out a dry chuckle. “I suppose. But if you do that again, I’m freezing you and leaving you behind, understood?”  
He nodded briskly, not sure at all whether she was joking. “Ah. Right, then.”  
“Now, he usually takes his lunch at the palace around midday, so if we go in quickly that would probably be the best time- while he’s advising Prince Leander on magical matters,” she explained. “His office is on the ground floor, so it should be a quick in and out, no trouble.”  
“Oh, that’ll be how it’ll work, I’m sure,” Rosalind interjected, smiling gently. “But you should probably get to bed before you fall asleep in the chair. I’ll wake you in the morning.”  
Severity glanced up at her, smiling. “Thank you- for everything. I suppose I did look alright tonight.”  
“Alright?” she scoffed playfully. “You were a vision. It’s a shame you can’t dress up more often.”  
“Speaking of which, can you help me remove the bits of metal poking into my middle before I go to sleep?” Severity asked, grinning weakly.  
“I suppose. Come along, then- good night, Torrance,” Rosalind replied, allowing Severity to lean on her shoulder as she rose.  
He nodded. “Sleep well,” he commented quietly, smiling a bit as they retreated to their shared room. His own sleep was slow to come, and fitful when it arrived. While he lay awake in bed, he couldn’t help but try to sort it out in his head – surely Emmeline couldn’t be involved in something so distasteful. She had to be trying to stop it. Absolutely had to.

 

“Morning! It’s morning! Time to be awake!”  
Torrance stirred at the sharp voice that was passing through his door. “Wha….”  
“Come, now, it’s almost time to go!” Rosalind insisted. “Severity is up and getting breakfast already. She might eat it all if you wait in bed too long.”  
“Got it, I’m coming,” he grumbled, sitting up with a deep yawn. Hearing her footsteps retreat, he ruffled his hair to its usual dishevelled state. He spent a second – just a second – considering going back to bed, but today was important and he felt that, if he allowed Severity to go on her own, he might not wake up again. Rubbing sleep from his eyes, he got up to get dressed in the same green tunic he had been wearing when he had first encountered Severity. Briefly, he wondered if it would be acceptable to return to the storage room and get another, clean outfit, but quickly put the thought out of his head for the moment. Perhaps, he decided, once he had proven himself a bit more useful. He took the stairs two at a time to reach the main room.  
Severity was back in a simple, brown dress. She was seated at a table, Rosalind sitting across from her. “Oh, good, you’re up,” the wizard said, standing as she saw Torrance. “It’s about time for us to go if we want to get there in good time.”  
He nodded slowly. “Right, sounds good…”  
Rosalind hugged Severity close to her, her layers of dull grey fabric enveloping the girl’s thin frame. “Be safe, alright?” she asked gently.  
“I’ll try,” she promised gently. “Don’t worry about us.”  
“Can’t tell me what to do.” She smirked, letting go.   
Severity raised her eyebrow. “The cheek on you.”  
“Oh, hush, go get your papers before it’s too late.”  
She grinned, straightening as she pulled away. “Very well- we’ll be back in an hour or two.”  
“You’d better be!” Rosalind called as Severity and Torrance headed out through the narrow alleyway.  
Torrance glanced over at her briefly, catching the remnants of a warm, satisfied smile lingering on her face. “So where does Nathaniel live?”  
“Close to the hub,” she explained, her expression quickly growing more serious. “One of the newer, larger houses- close enough that he walks to see Leander for lunch instead of riding.”  
“Ooh, those ones are nice,” Torrance commented. Her withering look prompted him to add, “and, ah, we’ll burn it down?”  
She sighed, shaking her head slightly. “Don’t burn it down. Ideally, he won’t know we’ve been there at all.”  
“Right. Steal papers, burn nothing. Understood.”  
“There you go.” Carefully, she stuck her head out of the alley, looking down the main road. “Shush- that’s him there, on his way to the castle.” Sure enough, when Torrance glanced down the wide street, he could see Nathaniel’s retreating back. “Come on!” Her boots barely touched the ground as she darted across the road, followed swiftly by Torrance. Not even glancing back, she led him along the roads almost by instinct. This part of town was a lot airier than the one they had just vacated – even the smaller homes had large gardens that were embellished with decorative gates and important plants, some of which even Torrance didn’t recognize.


	7. Chapter 7

“Here we are,” Severity commented as they approached a manor with a tall tower rising from the centre. The wooden walls were painted white, and held several large, decorative windows. “The office window is over this way.”  
"We’re going in through the window?” Torrance asked.  
Severity shook her head, glancing back at him. “No, we’re going through the front door. Perhaps we can ask the servants, who are prone to remember me, to show us the way and make us some tea while we go. Make a lovely afternoon of it.”  
“No need to be sarcastic about it.”  
“No, and there was no need for you to sabotage our plans,” she commented flatly, unlatching a tall window on the ground floor. “Now shush.”  
The office was large – larger than Torrance’s bedroom back at Emmeline’s. Severity climbed in easily over the sill, leaving Torrance to try and get over it, rather lacking in grace. The walls were lined with drawers and cabinets of a deep mahogany. The desk, of a similar wood, was empty except for a quill and inkwell resting on the shining surface.  
Severity glanced back at Torrance, who had moved on to admiring the plush carpet. “Being a royal advisor pays well,” she said flatly. “The papers should be in one of the drawers on the right- be sure not to mess anything up enough that he’d notice.” Dutifully, she began flipping quickly through the drawers set in the walls.  
Torrance, however, was a bit more interested in the desk. The small drawers on either side were full of magical tools and oddments, only a few of which Torrance had learned the purpose of. He tugged on the handle of the large drawer under the desktop, but it was firmly locked.  
“They must be somewhere in one of these,” Severity commented under her breath, holding up a small sheaf of papers. “What are you doing?”  
“I want to see what’s in here.”  
“Personal correspondence, mostly,” she replied casually, walking up to the desk. “Nothing important.”  
Torrance frowned. “It must be important- it’s locked,” he pointed out. He sat down on the ivory velvet upholstery of the chair, flipping through his mental spellbook. There were countless spells for undoing locks, so he chose a relatively simple one and got to work summoning it. It wasn’t too long before his fingertips began shining a cool turquoise. As he brushed his fingers over the keyhole, he heard the tumblers clunking open under the wood. “There we go,” he commented, opening the drawer. Almost immediately, he recognized Emmeline’s light, flowing hand on the letter on top, and he picked the paper up to read it.  
“My dearest Mr. Foxe,” the script read, “I must caution you- we are so close to success, and all we have is riding on the prince’s approval. While we near the completion of our facility, it is best to focus on our safety. I don’t doubt that, once the girl is in place, she will prove a valuable asset, but she is still nowhere to be seen. Perhaps when she claims her throne and has gotten over this rebellious phase, discussion of eliminating the prince will be entertained. Until then, this sort of idle speculation is far too rash. I hope to see you tonight at the ball to discuss this further. Yours, Mme. Quatremaine.”  
Severity craned her neck to get a glimpse as Torrance read it. “Well, there we go,” she said quietly. “Nathaniel wants to go full-on treason. Fantastic. That’s the best news I’ve had all day.”  
“Do you think he’d actually do it?” Torrance asked quietly.  
She shrugged. “He’s killed before. I’m sure he’d do it again. And either way, it’s just the evidence we need to get the prince to stop him.”  
He pushed the drawer closed, sliding the letter into his pocket. “Well, there we go. Let’s leave, then.”  
However, as the pair turned back to the window, it slammed shut and latched, seemingly of its own accord. He could sense her breath catching in her throat as she froze, extending a hand to hold him back.  
“Severity, what are you doing?” he muttered. “We should go!”  
Her movements were slow and controlled as she reached out with her free hand to lift the quill from the inkpot. "Ssh..." Looking down the shaft of the golden feather, she peered at the window cautiously, a few spots of black ink dripping onto the carpet.  
"Have you gone mad?" Torrance asked. "Just break the window and-"  
With a flick of her wrist, the quill flew towards the window. Just as it almost struck the polished glass, it was engulfed by a small flame, singing the delicate plume. The fire quickly spread into a solid sheet, extending to cover the walls and ceiling. Torrance jumped back, startled. "I thought you said we wouldn't burn the place down!"  
"We didn't," Severity said, her expression flat. "Look- it's not the walls, it's outside them." Sure enough, if one looked closely at the blaze, it was apparent that the wooden surface behind it wasn't so much as scorched. "I didn't think he would bother- this spell takes a lot out of someone… I’m so sorry, Torrance.”  
He neared the walls, feeling the heat from the flames grow stronger. Underneath, he could feel the energy caused by a powerful spell. “So what do we do, then?” he asked.  
Frowning, she leaned in, peering inquisitively at the fire. “I’ll try and unweave the spell. You… You just stay calm, alright? I might need help later.”  
“But what if we die in here?” Torrance asked, what peace his mind had quickly fading.  
She glanced over at him as he began to pace. “Just work on calm and don’t burn yourself out,” she advised, sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the door. “Or burn yourself.”  
He looked down at her, noting that her shoulders slumped slightly as she attempted to relax. The flickering flames reflected in the stormy gray of her eyes as she began to concentrate, working on finding the root of the spell to try and dispel it. While Torrance was idly looking through the desk’s contents for anything else that could potentially be useful, he tried to keep an eye on her. She seemed to be leaning alarmingly close to the fire, but he noted that the spell appeared to be weakening, or at least the flames were a good deal cooler in tone, the hue resembling Severity’s usual purple as time wore on.  
“Get ready,” she instructed suddenly, not looking at him. “I’m almost through and I want you to go through the hole and get out of here as quickly as you can.”  
“Right- will you need me to carry you?” he asked, noting that she appeared to be sitting upright mostly through force of will.  
She shook her head. “No, don’t worry about me. Just run. Front door’s to your right and down the stairs, don’t let anyone stop you.”  
"And what about you?" Torrance demanded, crossing his arms.  
She sighed deeply, the violet patch faltering slightly. "What about me is that I'm worth more to Nathaniel alive than I am dead right now. You're a wrench in his plans and he'll probably try to get rid of you as soon as possible."  
"Izzy, you're mad, he'll-" Torrance began before she shushed him.  
"Not Izzy," she corrected, her teeth clenched. "Go."  
He took the briefest pause before suddenly diving down. An opening appeared in front of him and he opened the door and crawled out to the relative safety of the hall. In comparison to the heart of the flame, the corridor seemed dark despite its cream-coloured carpeting and the stark white of the walls.  
“Only took her half an hour, even in her current state. Impressive,” a soft voice said from above his head. Slowly, he lifted his head, his eyes panning up over the distinctive cane and the linen suit to Nathaniel’s smirking face. “You, on the other hand, may have made a few mistakes in your life.”  
The youth bristled, drawing back to sit on his heels. “I… er, who are you talking about? I broke in here alone…”  
He chuckled, shaking his head. “Charming boy. Move out of the way, I do need to discuss something with our dear Severity.” Lightly, he tapped Torrance’s side with the cane, trying to guide him out of the way of the door.  
“I won’t let you!” Torrance insisted firmly, his gaze fixed on Nathaniel’s eyes. “And you won’t be able to just get rid of me!”  
He raised one thick eyebrow curiously. “Now why on earth would I want to do that?” he asked. “Emmeline has been looking for you.”  
"Looking for me?" he asked suspiciously.  
"Oh, yes, she's been going on about how you were such a great help- poor lady, she's getting on in years and you know she has trouble making it to the market alone. Besides that, we've recently received a project to work on that would be an excellent way for you to finish your apprenticeship." His face crinkled into a comforting smile that almost threw Torrance off.  
"But, what you're doing is..." the boy began quietly.  
"Prolonging life," he replied, gesturing with his cane. "Enabling the transfer of energy between wizards. Can you imagine what magnificent spells one could perform with twice or three times the power? The world would hold so few dangers for humans, and wizards would be capable of so much more without getting exhausted."  
Slowly, Torrance climbed to his feet. "But what about Severity?" he asked uneasily.  
"A pity," he said smoothly. "But she would be alright if she had followed my instructions. Besides, it hardly matters. The prince's guards will arrive in an hour or so, and then she will be taken to the castle to take her position as future queen. I'm certain once she gets the chance to calm down, she will be a lot more receptive to the idea."  
"Are you sure? I don't think she particularly likes the Prince..." Torrance began quietly.  
"Nonsense, Leander is a fine young gentleman. And even if she doesn’t like the prince, I’m sure she’ll like the idea of wizards and humans finally achieving a rapport. Most places in the world don’t have our luck in dealing with royalty. There’s been a bit of uneasiness in other countries between magical folk and the authorities, and this union will serve as a symbolic connection between our two worlds. For once, it isn’t all about her. Speaking of which, however, I should have a talk with her and try to smooth things over- if you’d like, Emmeline is downstairs preparing the equipment for transport, and you can go help her.”  
Torrance nodded slowly. “Right. Go help Emmeline,” he agreed. “I suppose I’ll see you when you’ve got the magical diplomacy taken care of.”  
“Good on you, lad.” Nathaniel idly patted the youth’s arm with his free hand. “I’m absolutely certain I’ll see you around the laboratory.”  
“Ah, right.” With that, Torrance started down the hall. Glancing over his shoulder, he noted that Nathaniel appeared to have already forgotten him. Swiftly, he ducked into a small corridor for servant use that ran perpendicular to their hallway, keeping his eyes on the wizard.  
Nathaniel opened the door, and the inside of his study could be seen if one concentrated on looking past the flames. “Now there, dear girl, are you willing to listen to reason?”  
An inaudible reply came from inside.  
“Language, my lovely…” Nathaniel tutted sternly. “Haven’t you gone far enough with this? Now, do listen to me…” Another pause. “I’m aware, yes. But the prince’s guards are on their way, and they’d probably appreciate not having to carry you- although it does look like you’ve lost a bit of weight since we’ve last met.” And another break in his smooth voice- no matter how Torrance tried, he couldn’t pick up Severity’s answers. “Well, that was your own fault, you must admit, for choosing to run to places with insufficient food. Am I to take this to mean that you’re not willing to cooperate on your own?” He shifted idly, his face still as Severity gave her short response. “I see. That is hardly too much of an impediment for me, you do realize? I have changed your mind before. Haven’t I… Isabel?”  
This reply, Torrance could distinguish from the crackle of the flame easily, mostly because it came in the form of a large bolt of amethyst energy, whizzing through the door and just past Nathaniel’s left ear. The older man seemed slightly taken aback for the first time, and waved his hand, bringing down the fire separating them. “Oh, now, no need to get dramatic and wear yourself out, young lady. It's all bad enough. Get up, come out of there."  
Even from afar, Torrance could tell that she was exhausted from the effort as she staggered out of the office, leaning heavily on the doorjamb. "Foxe, you have to stop this project- people have died..." she breathed, her voice oddly weak.  
"People have always died," he replied sharply, his long coat swirling around his knees as he stepped forward. "People will continue to die regardless of our actions, and what I've managed to create might save lives. Your role is a very important one, and I've even been generous enough to allow you the choice of going along by your own free will. Isn't that what you've wanted all these years? Your freedom?"  
Her dark hair hung limp over her face, drenched with sweat as she glared up at him. "You're completely insane..." she began,  
Suddenly, his hand snapped out, grabbing her upper arm. "Listen, you elevated kitchen wench-"  
"Stop!" Torrance stepped out from his hiding place, causing both heads to turn towards him. "Let her go!"  
Nathaniel was the first to react, releasing Isabel's arm and letting her fall to the floor. "Very well. What is the issue?" A small tendril of what looked like thick white smoke extended from the tip of his finger and encircled his arm.  
"You can't do this..." he replied, a bit less confident of his own abilities than he had anticipated. "I... I won't let you..."  
He chuckled. "Oh, won't you? Listen to me, boy. I've been absorbing energy from better wizards than you since before you were born. If you desire to try and stop me, do go on ahead, but I must warn you that a mind like yours, while undoubtedly useful in the pursuit of progress, is not above being wasted."  
Torrance gulped, taking a step back from him. "I think there's an opportunity for us to all calm down and-" He was interrupted by a jet of the smoke shooting forward and creating a soft oval around his rib cage. Nathaniel lifted his arm and it suddenly closed, squeezing the apprentice so the breath was forced out of his lungs.  
It only lasted a few seconds before it released him, but it was long enough that he was left gasping for air as it retracted, grabbing Severity by the arm and roughly tugging her upwards. "Indeed, let's all calm down. You have to realize, it's not going to be so dreadful. If you'd like, I can go in and change your memory so you don't even remember the experiments. Won't that be nice? I can bring you back to being Isabel, if you'd like, and get all this mess finished with."  
"No, you're actually mad," she snarled, the toes of her boots barely touching the floor. "I don't want this... any of this. I don't want you to take away my memories or try to make me forget how vile you are."  
He shrugged, watching her casually. "If you wish. I would think that your mind being present through the marriage would be more unpleasant for you, but as always, lady, you'll get what you want." His air was almost careless as he lifted one of his fingers on the handle of his cane, a trickle of his power snaking out and rising. Severity tensed, her breath whistling through her clenched teeth as it hovered ominously by her ear.  
Nathaniel let out a sharp, guttural cry. The spells dissipated and Severity dropped to the ground as his hand released the tight grip on his cane. When Torrance turned his attention to him, he noted a patch of red forming on his white waistcoat.  
"Leave her alone," Rosalind growled, before pulling the dagger out of his back and pushing him to the floor. He landed heavily, gasping from the shock as the tall woman descended upon him, a glint in her good eye. He barely had time to grab his cane before he disappeared, leaving nothing but a cloud of white smoke and a crimson stain on the carpet. Rosalind let out a choice swear under her breath before turning to the slightly dazed Severity. "Is she going to be alright?" she asked the recovering Torrance, a touch of what could be panic in her voice.  
Slowly, he nodded, straightening. "He didn't do anything. She's tired, but she'll live."  
"And you can walk?" she continued, keeping her eyes on the unconscious Severity.  
"Yes, I'll be fine, just a bit shaken," he agreed.  
"Good. We're leaving. Now." Gently, she sheathed her dagger and picked the spent witch up, carrying her easily. "There's a servant's exit down this way, nobody will notice if we go through there. Come on."  
While Torrance thought first of pursuing Nathaniel, he felt it was probably for the best not to argue at the moment and followed her closely. She led him through a small door behind a closet to an alley- while it was certainly nowhere near as downtrodden as the one the Howling Devil resided in, it wasn't quite up to the standards of the rest of the community. A cart was parked nearby, holding a good amount of hay and a few vegetables, and Rosalind gently placed Severity on the back before climbing up beside her and gesturing to Torrance to do the same.  
Severity's eyes opened slightly as she stirred, one hand reaching out and taking Rosalind's. "I told you not to come," she murmured.  
"And I did, and now you're alive and well," Rosalind replied sternly. "What were you thinking, wearing yourself out like that?"  
"I thought I'd hit him. He'll be after you too, now."  
"Let him come." She shrugged. "He won't be able to find us, and if he does, I'll give him worse than that. Are you hurt?"  
She shook her head, her eyes still rather bleary as the cart began to roll forward, the unseen driver urging the horses on. "No, I'm fine."  
"Thank goodness. We're going home, so you can rest up. No more adventures today, understood?" Idly, Rosalind stroked her hair.  
Severity lay back on the hay, shutting her eyes. "I suppose..." After a long pause, she added a gentle "Thank you."  
A smile played across Rosalind's soft lips, but she didn't respond, letting her return to sleep as the cart rolled unsteadily towards the market square.


	8. Chapter 8

Severity remained unconscious for over a full day after they brought her home. Rosalind laid her to bed and stayed nearby, leaving Torrance to his own devices. While he managed to distract himself by cleaning the tavern both before and after the evening's festivities, he could hardly focus on the spells he was casting. He hadn't cared to ask what exactly had transpired in the fifteen years that had passed since Severity had begun her apprenticeship, but for the first time, he was getting a sense of the gravity of her treatment.  
Rosalind finally came down to serve herself a meal the afternoon of the next day. From the ashen tone of her skin and the drooping of her good eyelid, it was clear that she had barely slept the previous night. Torrance took it upon himself to collect an apple and some toasted bread and cheese for her, bringing it to her as she sat heavily at a table. "How's she doing?" he asked hesitantly, taking a seat opposite her.  
"Alright. She's going to be fine. I've seen her like this a few times, and she'll wake up. I just... I was worried," she admitted, picking the apple up.  
"As well you should have been, wizards like her can easily over-exhaust themselves from emotions to the point where their heart stops," he agreed, then paused, seeing the stricken look on her face. "I'm sure that wouldn't have happened to Severity, though."  
"Not while I was around," she muttered. "Thank you for distracting him, I was almost too late."  
The young wizard blinked, a bit surprised by her gratitude. "Er. Thank you. Any time I can help."  
"It was a good time to start," she commented. "After that stunt you pulled at the palace..."  
He frowned. "I am sorry about that. I just... I wasn't expecting..."  
"I know, but still. Things like that could be disastrous- Severity could have gotten caught and then where would I be?" she asked quietly.  
"I know how you feel."  
"Oh, do you?" she asked, raising one eyebrow, the thick line broken by the long scar running down her face. Torrance could have sworn she seemed almost uneasy at the thought.  
"Yes, me and Severity were quite good friends back at the academy. We were very close at the time."  
She relaxed, letting out a low laugh. "Friends. Of course."  
"Yes, friends," he agreed, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "What?"  
"Nothing, nothing at all- listen, I don't suppose you got an eye of any of the plans for the facility?" she asked him quietly. "I want to start planning what we'll do when Severity wakes up."  
He paused to think on it while she idly munched on the hunk of cheese. "No, I'm afraid not. I didn't see anything but a letter."  
"So back to not having anything really useful on the plans."  
"Sorry."  
"Not your fault. But it's frustrating how he tends to elude us. Makes me think we should just take Severity and leave this place- at least we won't be in danger then," Rosalind mused thoughtfully.  
A voice from the entrance stated, "Now, that's no sort of spirit to have, hm?" Severity had entered, her steps surprisingly firm and confident.  
Rosalind shot up, hurrying to her. "You're awake- how are you feeling?"  
"Better than before, and I'm not being rushed off to some foreign land while we can still stop all this mess, understood?" she asked gently.  
"Severity, I don't know if you were properly awake, but he's got all the cards," Rosalind explained quietly. "He's got the go-ahead and all we have is some stray correspondance."  
"The letter?” she prompted, turning to Torrance, who removed the folded paper from his pocket. “The same one that points to Nathaniel trying to take over the kingdom by force? That should do it, don't you think?"  
Rosalind scanned the letter briefly. "Oh, that'll do something, I'm sure.“  
"Well, I mean, it might be a useful letter," Torrance interrupted, standing. "But we haven't got a way to get it to the right hands to stop anything. Our only connection to the prince is via Nathaniel, and he'd probably not be willing to help for some reason."  
Severity turned to him, a serious expression coming over her face. "That isn't entirely true- I mean, if nobody else has any ideas, I do have a way to get in very close contact with the prince very quickly."  
"Severity, no," Rosalind said firmly, taking her hand. "If you're thinking what I assume-"  
"It's not like I've got another way in, have I?" she asked. "Nathaniel will have everyone possible looking out for all three of us. Either I go in on my own terms or I'm taken in and put in who knows what state."  
"Not like that," she said, glancing down at the floor. "Please."  
"Rosalind, it'll only be until the prince realizes what's happened," she promised softly. "And it can wait until I'm a bit stronger..."  
"What are you going to do?" Torrance asked her, stepping forward.  
Rosalind shook her head. "What your mad friend intends to do is turn herself in, if I'm not mistaken, to get an audience with the prince."  
"If I say I've given up the chase, pretend that I can't do this any more, Nathaniel won't think to try and magically change my mind- it takes a lot of work, and knowing him, if he can avoid it, he will. He wants to control me, and if he thinks he has that control, he'll be happy enough with himself that he won't bother with the spells." Severity gulped, straightening.  
"So you're going to just give up?" Torrance asked, thoroughly startled.  
She turned to him. “If you’ve got a better way to get it to the prince, I’m listening, but I think this is all I’ve got.”  
“Well, let me go with you, at least,” he said quietly. “Emmeline knows me, she’ll probably trust me when I come around, and it might help to have someone else there. Even if you just need a distraction.”  
Rosalind glanced at him, nodding. “I hate to say so, but he’s right. I’ll try to be in the castle as well, but I’d feel a bit better if there was someone else there with you. And no, you're not getting away with telling me to wait here- this is dangerous business you're playing with and I'm not going to trust them not to hurt you.”  
Her objections cut off, Severity nodded. “Very well. You can both go, but we really ought to do this as soon as we can, before anybody else gets involved.”  
“Well, we could just go in tomorrow- you look as well as I've seen you since all this started,” Torrance offered. “I'm certain they'll be looking for us, and going in quickly will prevent us getting caught and dragged in.”  
She looked reluctantly at Rosalind, who patted the back of her hand lightly. “I can sneak in tomorrow, Severity. Let's get this mess out of the way, hm?”  
The door opened, and a few people Torrance recognized as the bar staff entered from outside. “Alright, we do it tomorrow,” she said, nodding. “Here, take the food, let's go out to the roof.”  
“The roof?” Torrance asked as he picked up the plate obediently.  
She nodded. “Yes, come on,” she beckoned as she and Rosalind hurried towards the stairs. Once they had reached their little apartment, they cut through the small room that the pair shared. For the first time, Torrance got a quick look around. It was fairly spartan in its decorations, with just a few small sketches pinned to the plainly papered walls and a mirror with a wooden frame hanging above the bed. Severity pushed the dirty window open and stepped out over the sill. When Torrance started after her, he found that she was standing securely on the roof of a neighbouring building. His footing was a bit unsteady on the slightly slanted shingles as he followed her outside. Around them, he could see the tops of buildings all over the city. The grimy, ramshackle roofs of the buildings around soon gave way to the elegant, shining areas of the more opulent areas. If one squinted and looked past the thick black smoke rising from nearby chimneys, they could see the high, thin spires of the palace. “It's a lovely view,” Torrance commented quietly.  
“It's a nice place to just sit and think,” Rosalind agreed from behind him, taking a seat by the wall. Severity sat beside her, bracing her back against the wall and resting her head on Rosalind's shoulder. “There isn't any other way up here, so you don't have to worry about being seen or anything.”  
Torrance returned to the windowsill, taking a seat beside them. “I can see why you two chose this place.” He turned towards the city, the setting sun warming the rooftops with a soft pink glow.  
Severity nodded slowly, a smile playing about her lips. “I mean, it isn't much, but it's more than enough, especially when I'm tired.”  
“You have to promise not to use up all your energy again in there,” he replied under his breath. “I don't know if I'll be allowed to hang about you and watch you to make sure it's alright.”  
“I'll do my best,” she promised. “I do apologize for tiring myself out back there. I just... I got a bit emotional.”  
“I noticed. It's important to keep your head in times like that,” Torrance advised.  
Severity shook her head. “I try, but, well, it's difficult around someone like that. I'm sure you know what it's like.”  
“Not particularly. What is it about Nathaniel in particular that set you off? He seemed to be fairly polite.”  
“It's his politeness that's part of it.” She shuddered, prompting Rosalind to put her hand on her shoulder. “He's got this way- he pretends to be courteous and proper while saying the most dreadful things. You heard him. Talking about enchanting people to believe whatever he wishes with a 'hm yes you must watch your language my dear girl' so he can pretend he's got the high ground. That's always what he does. He's always been good at disguising whatever he has to say and hiding how vile he is with a nice cup of tea and a fancy suit, and he fools everyone except the people who've got no power to defend themselves against whatever he's doing. I just... I can't stand it. I can't figure out how people can't see through him.”  
Torrance shifted, a bit uncomfortable. Even he had to admit, the man did have some nice suits. “So he's... he said he'd changed your mind, does that mean...” he began quietly.  
“Yes. He's edited my memory. Left gaps where he did experiments, took out memories of my family- it took seeing you to jog some of the things that happened back at the academy into place. That's what he does with his apprentices. He does his best to ensure that they can't remember anyone they could run to and that life with him is all they know, and then he takes their magic. As far as I could tell, I was the only one who survived the process, and even then just barely. When I ran, I was hardly in a fit state to so much as take care of myself.” Her gray eyes turned from the horizon to Rosalind's hand. “If Rosalind hadn't found me, I'd likely be dead or captured.”  
Rosalind smiled wearily, patting her emaciated shoulder. “I took her out of the country to try and help her recover, and we've only recently returned. She was far worse than she is now back then- could barely recall a thing about her captor, even where they lived.”  
“Not even my real name,” she interjected quietly. “It still... I mean, I recognize it as mine, but it seems hazy, almost. I've been called Severity for as long as I can rightfully remember.”  
“Well, isn't him calling you Isabel a good thing?” Torrance asked. “That's who you really are.”  
“That's who I was,” she corrected. “Isabel... it feels almost like a different person. I've been through a lot, Torrance. I've changed so much. Isabel was a lot more relaxed. She knew who she was and what she wanted, and she was comfortable in it. She didn't have to worry about whether her mind was right or bringing down monarchies or anything like that, just getting her homework in on time and whether or not a fellow would notice her.” She shifted slightly in Rosalind's grasp. “I'm not that person now. Frankly, I don't know if I'll ever properly be that person again.”  
He nodded slowly. “I'm sorry.”  
“It's not your fault. But that's why I get frustrated when people call me Isabel, you understand? I can't even properly link the name back to myself, and it just feels wrong having other people think of me like that. And to hear my name on his lips- when I don't even have the words for what he did to me, but I know he erased who I was- I just got so angry... I should be the one who's sorry. If Rosalind hadn't come, he would have doubtlessly done something to you as well.”  
“No, don't be, I'm sure I'd do the same!” Torrance said quickly.  
“Feel free to- perhaps your spells would hit their mark.” A slightly bitter grin spread across her face.  
He smiled back. “If it's at all possible, I'm sure you'd rather the pleasure. Perhaps I could pass on some of my power somehow to help.”  
“It doesn't work like that. The magic comes out of the wizard, and I think it's contained in some sort of vessel, but I can't really form the memory right.” She shook her head, an exasperated expression coming across her features. “If you get a chance, figure out how it works, I'm sure that'll help,” she directed.  
“Gladly.” He paused. “And when all this is over- when you stop Nathaniel from his plots, that is, I'll gladly help you try and go back to being Isabel. If you'd like, that is.”  
She looked briefly to Rosalind. “Perhaps- I mean, I hadn't thought about what I'd do once this was over. I suppose all of my concrete memories are when I was fighting this, so I just stuck with it.”  
“Well, if you'd like,” Rosalind began, looking away from her in what almost seemed like shyness, “I mean, I've always wondered what it would be like to stop running and thieving and just live a relatively quiet life for a while. I know I haven't got much, but, ah, I think something like that might be pleasant for you.”  
She laughed softly. The sun had finished setting, but Torrance could almost swear he saw a few shades of pink in her cheeks in the dim light. “Are you certain? I'm not sure I'd be suited for comfort at this point in my life.”  
“I can help you,” she promised quietly. “And we could still have an adventure or two now and then. Nothing of this scale, of course, and preferably not involving royalty, but if you don't mind staying with me for however long it takes to get used to civilian life-”  
“I don't mind at all,” Severity interrupted gently. “I think I'd enjoy that.”  
“Really? Because I'm not, you know....” She looked down at herself, shifting slightly.  
“You're fine,” she assured her. “Really, it's me that I'd be worried about.”  
Rosalind chuckled. “Always am. Ah. Torrance, would you mind giving us a few moments alone? There are some things we'd like to discuss in private.”  
He blinked, looking at them briefly in surprise. “Very well- I suppose I'll see you two in the morning, then.”  
Severity nodded. “Sleep well, alright?” she said softly.  
“I'll do my best. You as well,” he replied as he climbed back in through the window. He could still hear their murmured discussions as he returned to his room through theirs, but he shut his door and window and went almost immediately to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

“Do I look pathetic enough?” Severity asked, gathering the threadbare cloak that she had found around her. “I'm sort of going for slightly appealing, but thoroughly miserable.”  
Rosalind smiled, the expression not touching her eyes. “You hardly ever look pathetic. I'm sure they'll believe it. And you-” she turned to Torrance – “you remember what to say?”  
“I convinced her to turn herself in and save you the trouble,” he recited. “And I am sorry, I don't know what came over me, but I want to get back to work on my apprenticeship.”  
“Good, you've more or less got it. I'll be around the castle, but I'll try not to get involved unless things go badly.”  
“You'd better not,” Severity replied firmly. “Stay safe.”  
“Same to you, lady,” she agreed almost playfully, hugging her close and giving her a slight peck on the cheek. Severity flushed visibly, glancing at Torrance. “Well... I'll be seeing you two. Get going, now, no time to waste.”  
“See you,” Torrance replied before starting out, leading a rather reluctant Severity. Once they were out the door and on their way to the palace, he offered a slight smile to her. “It'll be alright, you know.”  
“I know,” she said quietly. “But still...”  
“No but still. We'll get in, we'll stop this, then we'll get you out. You need to stop worrying, understood? I’ll keep an eye out for you, and I’m sure Rosalind will be around.”  
“She will,” Severity replied, her voice surprisingly firm. “I am sorry about all this, you know. You really shouldn’t have been dragged into it.”  
He nodded slowly, looking down at her. “You know what? I suppose I don’t really mind- I didn’t even know all this was going on, but if it had gone much farther, Emmeline would have probably gotten me to help. After seeing you… Well, I’m rather glad I met you and found out what was really going on.”  
“Right. I’m glad you met me too,” she agreed, a bit distracted. “And thank you very much. I appreciate it.”  
Torrance followed her stiff gaze ahead to the palace. In the bright light of the noonday sun, the white marble of the walls was almost blinding if he looked directly at it. It was beautiful, to be sure, but he couldn’t imagine living there. Emmeline’s house, which he had grown used to, was clean, but even that lacked the harsh white that he found so hard on his eyes- and he couldn’t imagine how quickly it would get soiled if there was any hint of mud on the dirt roads nearby.  
“Are you ready?” Severity prompted, pulling the worn cloak tightly around her and adjusting her hair so a few limp strands dangled down to her chest.  
He nodded slowly, looking forward past the gates at the elegant palace. “More or less…”  
“Good.” She began moving forward again, her steps steady and measured as they entered the courtyard. There were a few servants about, but none seemed to take much notice of them. “He should be having his lunch by now in the main dining room- that’s down by the ballroom. Look like you know where you’re going, you’re supposed to be the one who talked me into this.”  
“Right, of course.” He squared his shoulders, his back straightening as he pushed open the heavily varnished wooden doors to the spacious hall ahead. “This way, now, come along. No changing your mind now.”  
“I suppose not,” she agreed under her breath, starting towards another large doorway.  
When she walked in, the first thing Torrance noticed was the massive windows, displaying an inner courtyard that he assumed the castle was built to surround. Sunlight was pouring in, illuminating a long table that ran from the doorway to the opposite end of the room. Seated at the end near the back wall was a small congregation of people, but the only ones Torrance recognized were Nathaniel and Prince Leander, the latter of whom was sitting at the head of the table and facing the door. He stood rapidly, the guards that were flanking him putting their hands on their swords. “Who are-” he began, then his question dropped off with an intake of breath the pair could hear from across the room. He waved the guards back, quickly passing Nathaniel to approach them.  
Severity stepped forward, looking firmly at the floor. “Leander…” she began quietly, a tremble in her voice that Torrance didn’t feel was entirely manufactured.  
“Severity, you poor lovely thing, you look awful,” he replied. “What are you doing here?”  
“Be careful,” Nathaniel warned from behind him. “She’s a bit mad.”  
“Not mad,” she replied firmly, an almost imperceptible glare passing over her expression before she looked up at them. “I’m just tired.”  
“Tired?” Leander asked her. His face, bronzed from hours of sport and travel, twisted into a rather confused expression.  
She looked up at him cautiously. “Tired of all this running. I must apologize. I had a chance to think after our discussion the other day-” she nodded cordially at Nathaniel, who was still watching her carefully- “and I decided that that was no way to live. Torrance helped me realize that.”  
Nathaniel got to his feet, approaching her. “So,” he said, his smooth voice barely hiding a hint of smug satisfaction, “you’ve come around to see things rationally?”  
“Sir, I’ve been hiding for a year now,” she told him, gripping the cloak tightly. “I’ve come to accept that perhaps getting food and a home is more important than some personal… issues.”  
The older wizard smirked slightly, clapping a hand on her shoulder. "Good for you. I am quite proud of you for making the mature choice- unexpected, but I’m certain you won’t regret it."  
She nodded slowly, one of her hands tightening into a fist for just a second. “I’m certain it’s better than the alternative,” she replied levelly.  
Before Nathaniel could form a reply, Leander stepped in, lightly stroking his strong chin. “If you don’t mind, Mr. Foxe, you’ve had her for fifteen years,” he interjected, his voice airy yet pointed.  
“Oh, my lord, of course,” he agreed, giving Severity a sharp look as he stepped back to allow the prince to approach her. Briefly, he shot an analytical glance at Torrance, who was hanging back by the door.  
“Severity, you pretty little thing, I can promise, from this moment on, you shall want for nothing. If you agree to be my queen, the world be yours,” Leander told her, taking her hand on his large one.  
She smiled smoothly, not even looking at Nathaniel. “Only if you’ll have me. But you must forgive me. I’ve been left rather exhausted from my ordeal, and I don’t know if I’ll be up to a big wedding ceremony just yet.”  
He grinned widely. “I understand- I’ll be happy to extend the engagement as long as you require to recover. But we must celebrate somehow. Perhaps a dinner so you get a chance to meet the nobles. I think I can arrange something for this week,” he began thoughtfully.  
“That… that sounds lovely,” she replied quietly.  
“Excellent. Do you mind if we get you measured up for a dress before you rest? You’ll need something a bit… better-suited.” The prince began leading her out of the room with a brief disdainful glance at the rips in her long skirt. She looked briefly over her shoulder at Torrance as she was escorted away by the beaming prince, followed by the guards.  
Nathaniel coughed conspicuously, looking over at the young wizard. “So, I don’t suppose you would be willing to tell me what you two are really doing,” he said sternly.  
He shifted, feeling the intensity of his glare. He had to look down just slightly to look Nathaniel in the eyes. “She wasn’t lying. She’s admitted that she’s lost,” he explained.  
Nathaniel’s cane clicked on the marble tiles as he stepped forward. “Oh, has she? She didn’t seem to think that a few days ago. Neither did you, or that other friend of hers.”  
“And look how drained that experience left her,” he replied quickly. “She needed some time to think about it, but she finally decided she was too weak to keep this up, especially if you really wanted to find her. She was worried you would hurt people she cared about, so she asked me to take her here.”  
He paused, seeming rather taken aback. “Well. That’s certainly fortunate, I was going to send someone after her. What are you doing, though?”  
“I wanted to go back to Emmeline- finish my apprenticeship and try to forget this ever happened,” he continued. “I mean, it certainly won’t hurt my career to have a friend running the country.”  
He let out a deep chuckle rooted in the base of his chest. “Bright lad, always thinking. And she’ll be queen for years now- the prince is a young man, but she’ll have at least a good hundred years of life once he passes, so if she doesn’t remarry, she’ll be the only thing between us and the keys to the kingdom. Here, come with me, we’re setting up our laboratory in the top of the northeast tower.”  
Torrance fell into step beside him, his long strides easily keeping pace. “Does the prince know that she’ll live longer than he will?” he asked.  
“I’ve informed him. Oddly enough, he isn’t too disturbed by the idea of his wife staying young and- well, decent-looking in the right light, let’s not overstate things- into his old age. Whatever the appeal is, I’m not going to question it, but it apparently overrides that little negative aspect of the relationship.” Nathaniel shrugged airily, barely glancing back at Torrance.  
“Well, that’s… that’s for the best,” he agreed, offering an artificial smile. “I suppose they’ll be quite happy together once Severity regains her power.”  
He paused. “I don’t plan on returning it immediately, you must understand. It isn’t that I don’t trust you, but, well, she’s been known to lie and betray me before. Rest assured, I will return it in due time, but I must be certain she won’t take her power and run off somewhere.”  
“I don’t think you’re being fair- she’s rather tired all of the time,” Torrance protested, but was silenced by an idle wave of the wizard’s hand, the silver rings decorating his fingers glimmering in the light streaming through the windows.  
“She hasn’t been fair to us. If she had listened to me, she could have saved everyone a great deal of time and money. And besides, if I just give her back what I’ve taken now, it could be dangerous to her- she isn’t used to it. Ah, Emmeline!” he suddenly called, as they rounded a corner and saw her familiar form at a doorway. “Have you heard the news?”  
She shook her head, then paused, looking at Torrance. “What is it?”  
“Severity has agreed, and you’ve got your helper back just in time to unpack our things,” he announced, allowing the apprentice to step forward.  
He gulped, feeling her sharp eyes on him. “I am sorry for all the trouble. Severity… She showed up at the house and took me away before I really knew what was happening. I spoke to her, and now she’s with the prince.”  
“Good job,” Emmeline replied smoothly, opening the door to reveal a tight spiral staircase leading upwards.  
“I suppose it was,” he agreed, still feeling rather uneasy. Severity would want her power back, and he didn’t even know how it was stored or if it could be returned.  
She looked over at him, then chuckled. “Don’t worry, she will be fine.”  
“What?” he asked, a bit surprised. “I wasn’t…”  
“Don’t worry, I don’t blame you,” she said softly, looking up at him. “I’m hardly surprised- men do more foolish things for ladies every day.”  
“Oh, I don’t think-” he stammered.  
“You needn’t worry, your secret is safe with me. Publicizing the future queen’s dalliances would be counterproductive. And you did come back, so that’s a blessing.” A wide smile spread across her wrinkled face.  
He looked down at his feet on the varnished wooden steps. “I- I wouldn’t-”  
“I’m sure. But do remember, try to focus on your career above women. They only stay pretty for so long, you must understand.” She grinned playfully at the boy. “I was young once too.”  
“And, er, you’re still lovely,” he offered, thoroughly flustered.  
“Sweet boy. I am sorry that this took over your independent research. You will have some free time in the evenings to work on your own spells, of course, no need to worry there. The prince will probably have a room to spare for you in the castle, I assume, so you won’t need to go back to the manor every evening…” Her attention had drifted, as it was wont to do, from the discussion at hand to the list of things she ought to get done. “Oh, here we are.” Quickly, she unlocked the large door in front of them to reveal a dusty room. The circular walls made the crates placed all over the floor look as though they wouldn’t fit in the slightest. The only illumination was from a set of small windows placed above Torrance’s eye level, the sun filtering in through the dust floating in the air.  
“Doesn’t look like much, but a good place to start from,” Nathaniel said from behind them as Torrance inspected the room that reminded him more of a prison than anything else. “Feel free to get to work setting things up- we should be operational in a few days to finish the research.”


	10. Chapter 10

Over the next week, Torrance’s life was a flurry of activity as the three attempted to set up the laboratory. It turned out that Nathaniel’s basement – where he had stored his equipment – had been at least twice the size of the tower room they had been allocated, so they had to try and compact the previous setup into the circular room while allowing for certain items to not be in close proximity. After all, as Nathaniel had apparently previously discovered, they had the tendency to conduct magic between them in a dangerous manner.  
One evening, after another arduous day of setup, Torrance turned to the older wizard, rather frustrated. He was already on edge since he hadn’t so much as caught a glimpse of Severity since the prince had escorted her away, and spending another day trying to assemble something he didn’t understand was just rather frustrating. “Would you mind explaining how all this works?” he suddenly asked Nathaniel, turning to face the seated man. “Perhaps I could help work on the design if I knew why things oughtn’t touch.”  
He sighed, shaking his head as he rose gracefully from his seat on one of the empty crates that was still in the room. “It’s… It’s kind of difficult to explain. You are aware of the two major schools of magic, yes?”  
Torrance nodded carefully, watching him. “Yes, basically.”  
“Well, magic like yours- more structured, in a way- is more attached to the logical mind,” he began, his voice slow as though he were speaking to a child. “It’s hard to manipulate, and even if the wizard is distracted by feeling, it’s likely to remain stable unless you specifically summon a spell. Wild magic, on the other hand, flows freely between the wizard and their environment, especially when the user is in a strong emotional state. Usually, this manifests as a simple spell, depending on what the user is feeling.”  
“Right- like Severity’s scar,” he said.  
“Exactly. Now, what we have here is a set of devices that, when the wizard is connected up and experiences strong feelings, instead of wasting the power on a useless spell, collects the power in a vessel like this one.” Idly, he took a rounded glass bottle with what looked like the end of a screw blown into one end from a small box nearby and tossed it to Torrance. “Then you can store it for a long while, or give it to another wizard who’s better equipped to deal with the power.”  
He examined the orb carefully, then surreptitiously glanced at Nathaniel to see if he could spot anything of the sort about his person. Unfortunately, his bright white suit appeared to hold no real adornments of any sort beyond the usual assortment of mundane-looking jewellery. “And, ah, how do you get the power from the wizard, exactly?”  
“Well, the wizard can come in when they’re having a bad day, or we can help them feel something strong enough so that they discharge power,” he said, with an evasive glance at the door, then picked up his cane from the floor and stood. “Now, the engagement dinner is tomorrow, so you and Emmeline have an appointment with the tailor tonight to get measured for a proper suit.”  
“The tailor. Right. He’s downstairs?” Torrance asked, laying the bulb gently on a table.  
“Yes- he has his own suite in the servant’s wing, first door on your right,” he continued. “Have a good evening.” With that, he was out the door and started down the stairs, leaving the young wizard to his own devices for the first time in what felt like ages. The past few days had been incredibly busy- between the long days in the lab and the embarrassing number of times he had gotten lost in the castle’s expansive hallways, he had barely had any time to himself at all. Still, his wandering had been at least slightly useful, as he managed to locate the tailor’s studio relatively quickly.  
Emmeline was already in there, a measuring tape being wrapped about her neck as the tailor flitted about her hurriedly. The walls were lined with bolts of fabric of every imaginable colour and texture, most of which were in disarray as the slip of a man with the needle and scissors in hand seemed rather preoccupied. “Ah, good, you’re finished up there,” she said, turning her head to face him. “Hard day?”  
“Dreadfully. I think we might almost be ready, though,” Torrance reported, then paused, glancing at the tailor. He had been told to keep the experiments relatively confidential, and he didn’t know how Emmeline would feel about someone listening in.  
“Oh, don’t worry, he can’t hear,” she assured him quickly, raising an arm to allow measurement down her side. “I am sorry you got drawn in for the dull parts.”  
“No need to worry, that’s why I’m here!” he replied enthusiastically, taking a seat on a small stool. “I only wish I could have been a bit more involved earlier- Nathaniel explained it to me, but I don’t know if I got it properly.”  
She chuckled softly. “Well, with the way Severity was reacting, we weren’t sure how you would feel. It’s good you feel so positive.”  
“Well, it’s an interesting field of study, is all,” he explained. “I’ve never really heard of anything like this before.”  
“Most people haven’t- when Nathaniel found out, he was as excited as you. Of course, by then, I had already finished most of the preliminary work and things just had to be tested,” she continued thoughtfully.  
Torrance glanced at her. “So you really did all the research?”  
“Yes- the important part, as it were,” she agreed.  
“Why are you letting him step in, then?” he asked as the tailor held up a dark silvery satin, comparing it with the cool gray of her long hair.  
“Excuse me?” she asked.  
“Well, I mean, it seems like the sort of thing you wouldn’t really need him for, and you could easily just have moved on without him,” he said thoughtfully.  
She shook her head. “And have the collected power potentially backfire on me? It was only made safe for the bearer relatively recently. Nathaniel isn’t my first assistant. Too much magic can be dangerous. Best to stay back from the power until it’s safe to wield and the political spotlight until the prince is fully on board with the project. Being at the forefront isn’t always wise with a potentially controversial project such as this...”  
He blinked, surprised- he hadn’t really considered that anyone but Nathaniel had made the decision for him to be in charge. With the show he made of it, he would have thought Nathaniel had been the one who came up with the whole idea. “I suppose that’s a good idea…” he began slowly.  
“I think so,” she said as the tailor waved her away, beckoning Torrance over. “Don’t worry, though, I’ve got a bit of spare energy from earlier experiments saved up in case Nathaniel gets out of hand. I’ll be able to handle him.”  
“That’s sort of what I was wondering,” he replied quietly. “I was a bit worried- with what Severity told me-”  
“That was unfortunate,” she agreed, patting his back lightly. “Nathaniel told me that she was alright with volunteering for the experiments. I hadn’t heard that she was unwilling until it was far too late to do anything about it.”  
Torrance nodded, raising his long arms so the tailor could measure around his chest. “I suppose that’s a bit of a relief. I knew you wouldn’t do anything like that.”  
“He’s not really all that bad, you know,” she scolded. “He just needed to get things accomplished- and thank goodness he did, we’ve almost gotten things finished. I’m personally glad I didn’t have to do it myself. As well you should be, in reality.”  
He glanced down. “Right. Of course,” he agreed under his breath.  
“I don’t really see what you’re worried about,” she continued, waving her hand to stop his denial. “I’ve seen you moping about the place, but think of it- this will be a huge boost to your career. With your name on a project like this, any studies of higher magical theory would be happy to accept your input, even if you choose not to stay here at the castle. And as long as I’m on the project, if you need a bit of extra magic, I’ll be happy to siphon some off for you.”  
“Thank you- I do appreciate it,” he replied, a bit too quickly.  
“Good boy. Listen, be sure to get some rest. Tomorrow is likely to be a long day- those announcement dinners are always rather tedious.” Her instructions were delivered sternly from halfway to the exit, with a quick look over her shoulder.  
Despite her instructions, Torrance didn’t sleep easily in the slightest. He was already used to the comfortable bed in the spare room they had found for him near the tower- compared to the scratchy blankets and lumpy mattress he had experienced back at the alehouse, even just the plain cotton sheets seemed impossibly fine in comparison. He couldn’t help but wonder how Severity was dealing with the newfound wealth. Her discomfort with even the level of luxury afforded to all the guests at the ball seemed incompatible with the dainties that Leander and his family appeared to have filled the castle with. In his preliminary explorations, he had discovered that, even in the areas designated as servant quarters, there were still expensive details such as ornate carvings inlaid with pearl in the wooden trim above doors or what appeared to be silk curtains hanging from grubby windows. After the squalor of the Howling Devil, it was quite a shock, and he could only imagine how much more so it would be for Severity, after a year of such a rude setting. She, he figured, was probably missing the bed filled with straw and mismatched silverware. Rolling onto his back, he sighed deeply. “I hope you get back to it,” he murmured into the still and silent night.


	11. Chapter 11

The engagement dinner wasn’t quite as elaborate as the ball had been, but it was clear that the prince had used his time wisely. Torrance recognized a few of the local nobles, but the small assembly that had gathered appeared to be mostly strangers. Nathaniel was there in a stark white robe with a long, trailing cloak, easily chatting up members of the crowd. As a result, he wasn’t too difficult to keep an eye on among the small audience. The tailor had come through at the last second for Torrance, having created a deep, emerald green suit that was just a bit lighter than the tone of his skin. He shifted uneasily- he still hadn’t so much as seen a glimpse of Severity yet, and while he was sure she was alright, he didn’t quite feel comfortable. The thought came to mind that so far he hadn’t even glimpsed Rosalind. She was probably quite good at staying hidden, but her absence was worrying.  
His reverie was interrupted by a sudden round of applause directed at the entrance to the dining room. There was Prince Leander, all shiny blond hair and bright smile and tanned skin and red silk with golden embellishments. He was gripping Severity’s hand tightly, leading her into the room. While certainly not healthy, she looked a bit better-rested than she had been before, swathed in a dress made from yards of a warm burgundy fabric that shimmered with an unnatural blue sheen as he led her past the candle sconces in the walls. “Welcome, all,” he declared, beaming proudly. “Please, do take a seat- your names are on the placards.”  
After some shuffling, the assembly had seated themselves. Torrance found himself slightly squashed between Nathaniel on one side and Emmeline’s expansive silver skirts on the other. He couldn’t help but notice that Nathaniel seemed rather upset that they were seated at the foot of the table near the door, facing opposite Severity and Leander. Leaning over, he murmured, “I wouldn’t worry, he probably owes money to them.”  
Nathaniel sniffed, his mouth quirking to a slight smile. “Unsurprising,” he commented under his breath.  
Leander seemed completely ignorant of the exchange as he passed. As Torrance looked up at Severity, she quickly broke the frozen smile she had plastered across her face to shoot a look of concern in his direction. He sat up, a bit startled- what could be the matter?  
“Gathered friends and associates, old and new, allow me to introduce my new bride, Severity,” the prince announced, hugging her briefly to his side before releasing her, allowing her to sink into her polished wooden chair at his side. “I’m sure you’ll all be as fascinated as I was with her, and I only wish my parents could have lived to see this joyous day.”  
As he spoke, a few servants filed into the room, placing large plates piled high with costly dainties on the table. Torrance noticed they were followed in by a few of the royal guards, who took stations by the doorway.  
“It is my pleasure to welcome you all here in celebration- while this was a long time coming, I am certain it will be worth the wait. This union marks the beginning of a period of transition. Not only in my own life, but for Eldennon. This may be the first step towards achieving true equality between wizards and humans.” At that remark, Severity shifted uncomfortably, a slight jingle coming from the three elaborate golden necklaces around her neck, which appeared to be linked together strategically to hide her scar. “Thank you for joining me tonight. I can’t help but look forward to the beautiful future we hope to build together. Already, we’ve been discussing ways to strengthen the kingdom and help intertwine our communities- but first, please, help yourself to dinner, and we’ll get to discussion once everyone is fed.”  
The air in the room had a palpable sense of unease. Even Nathaniel seemed rather discontent. It was fairly clear that, even as the official magical advisor, he hadn’t been consulted by Leander on the kingdom’s new direction with regard to magical affairs. Still, people began to tuck into the massive plates of food presented by servants, filling glasses with imported wine and brandy. During the dinner, Torrance mostly tried to focus on his food and the banal discussions happening around him about various political affairs. He couldn’t help but notice that, in between socializing with the guests seated nearby, Leander appeared to be murmuring about something with Severity. Whatever it was, it appeared to be serious from the expressions on their faces.  
After everyone had eaten their fill, the prince got to his feet, which cued a sudden hush. “Now, before dessert I must delve into a minor personal matter- I do apologize for this unpleasantness, but I felt it was appropriate to do this publicly.” Beside him, Severity looked away from the table, one hand spooling a few stray strands of hair around her finger nervously. Leander continued, unfazed, “I have spent the last year and a half trying to accommodate a new area for magical research inside my own home. Through some negotiation, we finally worked out a deal to help progress into a new stage of magical research. I’ve placed my entire support behind this project, as it seems instrumental for the wizarding community.”  
Nathaniel straightened, adjusting his tie proudly.  
Leander turned to face him. “So I don’t see why you were plotting to murder me, Nathaniel Foxe.”  
He froze, a temporary look of panic flashing over his dark eyes. “Excuse me?”  
“Oh, I’m not a fool. I know about your plans to overtake the monarchy once you had gotten what you wanted, and it’s sickening.” He crossed his arms firmly. “Guards.”  
The older wizard stood quickly, hearing the heavy footfalls approaching him from behind. “It isn’t true!” he declared.  
“Then why did you have to be discouraged from it in writing?” he asked. “I have it in your partner’s hand. Your intentions weren’t nearly as pure as you made out in your proposal.”  
He shook his head. “My partner’s hand? But that was in my study…” His voice broke off as his eyes flashed from Torrance to Severity. “What did you do?”  
“What I had to, in order to protect the kingdom, sir,” she replied, her voice calm and quiet. “As the future queen. What might have happened if you had gotten access to all that power?”  
“You leave my fiancee out of this,” Leander interjected. “For now, I can’t support your project any longer.”  
Nathaniel turned back on the guards, and waved his hand, sending them flying back to hit the wall with a sickening thud. “Well, if you can’t support me, I suppose there’s no use to keeping you around, is there?” He raised his other arm, wrapped firmly around the carved shaft of his cane. For the first time, Torrance got a good look at it. The etchings appeared to be obscure, ancient runes like those used for rudimentary magic they had studied back at the academy, but that wasn’t what currently drew his attention. Sitting on top of the cane was a glass orb, very similar to the one that Nathaniel had shown him at the laboratory. Inside, he could see what looked like multicoloured threads wound together, floating in the center. “Last chance to take all this back, your majesty.”  
The prince tensed visibly. “Are you… are you threatening me?” he asked nervously. “Because I’m aware of at least three other wizards in the room-”  
“None of whom are even remotely as powerful as I am,” he replied smoothly.  
Severity looked up at him, almost trembling. “You’re being foolish,” she said, her voice shaking. “If you kill him, nothing will change-”  
“Except I’ll have the queen, now the only authority, under my command,” he told her simply. “Your mind is quite weak, even when you’re at your full power. I think, together, we could easily cover up something like this, hm?”  
Torrance pulled back from him instinctively, startled that he would even suggest something like that so openly. The older wizard had a slight look of panic about his features.  
Leander gulped, watching Nathaniel carefully. “Listen, perhaps we can find some sort of understanding…” he began.  
Sliding back from the table, Torrance felt a slight tug at his sleeve. Startled, he turned to see a dark hand stretched out from below a nearby side table. “Rosalind!” he hissed, confident that the attention of everyone in the room was held by the other wizard.  
“This isn’t good, how do I stop him?” she whispered urgently.  
He shook his head. “I mean, I wouldn’t, he’s got a lot of power…” he murmured, keeping his eye on the ensuing action.  
“No, you don’t understand. He is not going to do anything else to her while I’m here and able to at least try and stop him. You’re a wizard. You know about magic, especially the kind that you’ve spent the past week discussing with him.” She paused. “What do I do to make this right again? Just tell me, I can decide if it’ll be too dangerous.”  
He looked down at her, then nodded, resigned. “I think- I’m not entirely sure, but I think- that he’s got all the power he’s harvested in his cane there. I don’t know how we’d get it, though, he probably isn’t going to just hand it over.”  
Under the table, Rosalind chuckled. “Torrance. I’m a thief.”  
“Right. Well, do what you need to do,” he muttered. “Let me know if you need help.”  
“I’ll need a distraction- try to keep him busy without killing Severity,” she directed.  
“Good luck,” he whispered before sliding back towards the table as discreetly as he could. Nobody had killed anyone at this point, although most of the nobility appeared to be subtly backing away from Nathaniel.  
“Whatever you’re doing, I hope you understand the ramifications,” Emmeline stated under her breath.  
He glanced over, a bit surprised. “I’m trying not to get anyone killed.”  
“Right. Well, if you need me to, I can get both of us out of here,” she replied.  
Torrance was silenced by a harsh grunt from Severity as she suddenly fired a spell in Nathaniel’s direction. The wizard easily waved his hand and the mauve light dissipated without a trace. “Listen, you foolish little girl. I’ve won. I won before you were even born. Either you both go along with what I say or I kill your husband and take control of the kingdom by force.”  
“Er, Severity, perhaps we should…” Leander commented from her side, his veneer of bravado rapidly fading.  
“You’re evil,” she growled, barely even looking at the prince. “You have all the power you could possibly need.”  
“Oh, on the contrary, I could be doing much, much more,” he corrected, straightening. “I must say, this is a pity. I thought we were going to be able to finish this without any bloodshed at all, nice and easy. This could have been so peaceful if you had just done what I had said instead of taking a year to go run around the countryside with criminals and live out your youthful rebellion.” Shaking his head, he raised his free hand, holding the cane firmly with the other.  
“Nathaniel, don’t you think you’re being a bit unreasonable?” Torrance asked suddenly, trying to distract him. “I mean, I’m sure once everyone calms down we’ll be able to discuss this rationally without killing any royalty-”  
He turned on his heel, his dark eyes sharp. “You do not understand. I’ve been working for this for so long, and just when I finally put my faith in someone I should be able to trust them to do one little thing- that will benefit them almost as much as me, no less. Do you honestly think that becoming royalty is the worst thing that’s ever happened to an apprentice? She had her future in line, and threw it all away for what, exactly?”  
Torrance shifted, watching him. “I mean, I’m sure she had some sort of-” he began nervously before Nathaniel wheeled away with a harsh gasp.  
Behind him, Rosalind stood, holding the cane victoriously. She stepped back swiftly as Nathaniel lunged for it. “Who even are you?” he snapped. “Give that back!”  
She darted out of his reach, her eye trained on Severity. “If you insist,” he agreed before aiming and throwing it over the table. It landed just next to Severity’s plate.  
Behind her apprentice, Emmeline tensed. “Listen- you don’t know what you’re playing with,” she warned as Severity picked up the cane, examining the swirling threads trapped in the head.  
“Be careful with that!” Nathaniel barked, leaning ever so slightly on the table in front of him. The gray in his hair was rapidly increasing, his face almost seeming to wither in front of their eyes. “We… We can talk about this…”  
“I think the time for talking is over,” Severity replied quietly, her face still. She wasn’t even looking at her old master, seeming completely fascinated by the staff.  
“What are you doing?” he demanded. “Isabel, give that back.”  
She looked up sharply, raising the cane above her head. “Don’t call me that!” she snarled before bringing the glass ball down upon the shining wood of the table, shattering the glass into thousands of shimmering shards.  
The dining room was filled with a blinding light as the contents of the orb exploded outwards, each thread stretching out with its own coloured luminosity. Emmeline’s hand landed on Torrance’s shoulder and she stated, “We’re leaving right this instant!”  
“No!” He pulled away, turning in her direction. “I’m staying here.”  
“Torrance, you don’t understand, that’s fifteen years of siphoned power in that orb, plus whatever was left from any previous apprentices- it’ll be transferred to the nearest vessel, and she won’t be able to handle it!” she explained hurriedly. “It’s dangerous-”  
“I don’t care. I need to see this out. Please,” he replied, averting his eyes.  
She sighed deeply. “Fine. Good luck,” she commented, before waving her hand and disappearing with a sharp snapping noise.  
Torrance returned his attention to Severity. As his eyes grew accustomed to the light, he could discern the long strings of power wrapping around her limbs and sinking in below her skin. As she absorbed the last of the threads, she stood, the handle of the cane still in her firm grip.  
“Severity, are you alright?” Rosalind asked nervously, stepping forward.  
As she opened her eyes, the usual gray pupils were replaced by a dazzling glare of violet light. “Don’t worry about me. Get out of the way,” she directed softly, her body twitching unnaturally. As she spoke, her mouth shone as brightly as her eyes. “I need to… I need to control this…”  
Nathaniel was looking ages older, his face falling as he watched the light spill out from her face. “Now, we… we can be reasonable about this, right?” he stammered. While the other nobles in the room seemed content to back their chairs against the wall, he seemed fixed in place, staring at her. “Isabel, please, I-”  
“I told you to stop that,” she growled sharply. She began to float into the air, magic crackling and popping along stray strands of her hair, forcing them to stand almost on end. The glow spread to her scar, causing the three long lines to light up even through the chains.  
He blinked, surprised. “What? I thought you wanted-”  
“You took my name, and I want you to get it out of your mouth,” she snarled. Slowly, she began floating upwards in the air as though dragged by invisible hands.  
“Yes, yes, of course, I won’t say it again, I promise- now, let’s all come back down to the floor and talk about this-” he stammered.  
She raised an eyebrow sharply. “Talk about it?”  
“I mean, you have your power back now, plus you’re queen- I mean, really, things are working well for you at this point in time, I think- and really, you can’t say I didn’t help you with at least some of that-”  
“Fifteen years,” she replied, her voice oddly flat and impassive.  
“What?” he asked.  
“I spent fifteen years going through hell while you stole my energy. That’s what you did for me. You had the opportunity to help me, but you took my power, my time, my memories, and my name.”  
He tensed as she began to float forward, her feet just barely clearing the tabletop. “Severity, please- it was necessary to progress the experiments! You had the least controllable magic, and I was really doing you a favor so you wouldn’t hurt yourself again-”  
“Quiet.” Her trailing skirts knocked over glasses and bowls on the table as she neared him, the room growing silent in fearful anticipation. Torrance could feel the hair on the back of his arms stand on end as she approached that end of the room. “I have had enough of your talk.” Slowly, she lifted her hand, pointing directly at the older wizard.  
Torrance, who watched her in fascination, was startled from his slight daze by a firm grip on his arm. "Get out of the way!" Rosalind snapped, tugging him away from Nathaniel.  
He heard a sharp crack and another flash of light filled the room, leaving its occupants blinking in an attempt to regain vision. When the illumination faded from view, the wizard was gone but for a small burn mark on the oaken floor and a wisp of lavender smoke. Severity was swaying slightly in the air, her face surprisingly serene given the rays of light pouring from her features.  
“What did you…” Leander asked, peering cautiously out at them from underneath the long table.  
“Severity, just relax,” Rosalind interjected, stepping forward towards her. “I know you’re tired, but we need to work together and get through this…”  
She shook her head firmly, moving away. “No, this… this isn’t right!” she declared, her words spilling out rapidly as she stumbled over the diction. “I can’t… I need to get out of here.”  
“We can do that, love, we can get you out, just come this way,” the thief instructed, reaching for her hand.  
Severity opted for a more direct measure – with a casual wave, the massive windows smashed outwards, coating the courtyard outside with shards of glass. Leander cried out sharply. “You can’t just do that!” as she floated idly out into the cool night.  
“Are you going to try and stop her?” Rosalind asked, before bounding out a broken window after. Torrance dashed after her, glass crunching under his boots as he hopped outside, barely glancing back at the terrified nobility of the kingdom.  
Severity was hovering a good two feet above the ground as he approached. “”Um. Are you alright?” he offered awkwardly, keeping a wary eye on her.  
She shook her head, her hair falling free of the shimmering clips that had been holding it up. “I can’t… I can’t channel it, I’ve got to try and stay calm, can’t let myself get too emotional,” she replied, more to herself.  
Rosalind frowned sternly. “What’s wrong, Severity?” she asked.  
Severity turned midair to face her, her dress swirling around her ankles. “Right. When I have power- especially this much- spontaneous magic happens when I get upset. Was going to learn to work on that as part of my apprenticeship, but you know. Anyway, there’s a lot of magic in here now and I’m having some trouble containing it.” As she made her explanation, sparks fizzled from her scar down her arm, landing lightly on the ground.  
She nodded slowly. “So what are you going to do about it?”  
“Don’t know. Probably going to run off and hide somewhere, at least until I get to be less of a danger to society. Work through some feelings, get over… well, everything,” she replied quietly, starting to drift away.  
Suddenly, Rosalind reached out, grabbing her by her arm. “No, Severity.”  
“What are you doing?” she asked quietly. “It’s dangerous-”  
“I don’t care. You spent years on your own, I’m not letting you go off alone and risk losing you.” She frowned sternly.  
She shook her head, looking away. “Rosalind, I-”  
“You what? You need to deal with your emotions? Severity, I can’t claim to know what you’ve been through, and I know I can’t understand everything. But I’ve told you before, and I’m telling you again- I want to be there with you and help support you, however I can.” Her dark eye lifted to gaze up at Severity, a crooked smile spreading across her face.  
“Rosalind, I can’t ask that of you, I… I mean I’ve just killed someone, I don’t think-” she stammered softly.  
She chuckled softly. “Who are you talking to again? Listen. I told you I’d be there for you, and that’s what I’m doing. No matter what.”  
Severity began twisting her fingers around each other, strands of magic flowing out of the tips and intertwining with each other as she fidgeted. As she shifted, the hem of her skirt began to fizzle and burn as though it had been dragged through the coals of an almost-dead flame. “Are you certain?”  
“As certain as I’ve ever been of anything in my life. Get down here, you.” Carefully, she reached up, lightly stroking Severity’s hair, sparks flying from where her hand touched. “You look exhausted. Someone, get her some tea!” The last was barked out towards the broken windows of the dining hall. Leander, who was crouched at the window, waved at a servant, who rushed off, presumably to fulfil the request.  
“I… I’m sorry, I just… I was so scared,” Severity breathed, Rosalind’s hold on her hand tethering her to the ground. “Without any power, and with Nathaniel after me, I couldn’t do anything… I don’t want to be scared any more.”  
“I can’t promise that,” she replied gently. “But I know you’ll be alright. I’ll be right here.”  
Lightly, she pulled Severity’s head down, their lips pressing firmly against each other. At that moment, Severity lifted her free arm pointing towards the eastern tower. The strings suddenly coalesced into a wide purple beam, hitting the tower firmly on the side. It took a second, but the roof of the tower shot upwards as though pressure had been building inside. The walls followed, bricks falling to the ground of the deserted yard. At the top of where the tower had stood, the remaining power floated, shooting off harmless sparks and filling the area with a purple glow.  
Leander’s head popped up from the dining room. “What was that?”  
The suspended woman descended gently to the earth, her destroyed skirt dropping bits of fabric as she moved. The glow coming from within had receded. Although the light of her spell was a bit dim, Torrance could see the gold of her necklace had melted into her scar, causing it to shine gently.  
“Er, what was that?” Torrance asked timidly, stepping forward.  
She glanced over at him- she seemed to have almost forgotten his presence. “Ah. Right. Well, you see, I, ah, I feel the same way about certain women as I do about certain men, and Rosalind-” she began, flushing visibly.  
“Right, right,” he said quickly. “And the magic? What is that in the sky?”  
“Just a bit of extra power that I couldn’t really control. I couldn’t have held it in, and I didn’t want anyone else going through what I did, so I figured might as well get rid of the lab,” she explained casually. “That up there should dissipate by morning. Thank you.” She took an ornate porcelain teacup from the servant, who had run outside to see what was the matter. “I think… I think I’ll be fine.”  
Rosalind pulled her close, sighing deeply. “Good. You’d better be.”  
He nodded slowly, watching her. She looked as healthy as he had ever seen her- while at the academy, she had always had a certain sparkle in her eye, which he couldn’t help but notice had finally returned. She looked quite relaxed, her hand idly drumming on Rosalind’s shoulder.  
“I suppose you don’t still want to get married.” Leander had exited the castle and was approaching rapidly, his broad shoulders slightly hunched over.  
“To you? Not as such,” she agreed, sipping the steaming tea. “I am sorry for deceiving you, but I doubted I’d be able to get the message to you otherwise.”  
He blinked. “I mean, I would still… Never mind that, what are you going to do about my castle?” he continued, gesturing at the destroyed tower.  
“Hopefully leave it. I’m sorry about the mess.”  
“The mess? Things were exploding!” Leander snapped.  
Looking up at him as she took another long drink of tea, she twitched her eyebrow, a quick pulse of light showing through the scar. “I should hope you wouldn’t try to apprehend me- that would just be a nuisance for both of us.”  
The subtle display quickly took most of the wind out of Leander’s sails. “You set my magical advisor on fire.”  
“He wasn’t a very good magical advisor. You’ll find another.” She shrugged, glancing back at Rosalind. “Actually, now that I think about it, Torrance, your apprenticeship is pretty much over. Leander, this young man was at the top of his class back at the academy. He’s always been skilled at following rules, and he knows if he pulls anything like Nathaniel tried to I’ll find him.”  
Leander turned to size up the young man. “I… I suppose- I mean, on a trial basis…” he began, then shook his head. “Anyhow. You just… just leave, don’t break anything else. I’ll deal with all this in the morning- right now, I ought to rest. It’s been a long day.”  
“Thank you for dinner!” she called as he started away, not even bothering to look back.  
Torrance blinked, still rather in shock. “I don’t know how to be a magical advisor, you know.”  
“I know,” she replied. “From what I saw, it’s not too hard- you’ve just got to try and tell the prince what’s going on in terms he can understand. You’ll have time to pursue your own projects, don’t worry. Besides, you’ll get to stay in the castle, and I think a place like this is where you belong.”  
“And what about you?” he asked. “I mean, I could try and get a room for you-”  
She laughed, her voice surprisingly hearty. “I hardly think I’m welcome here, Torrance. I’ll find somewhere, though, don’t worry.”  
“Are you sure? I mean, after what happened with Nathaniel, I don’t know how easily you could find a job…”  
Rosalind kissed her gently on the cheek. “If you want,” she interjected, “and, well, I know it isn’t much, and I’m sure that you’ll need somewhere else to go and do magic things, but I do have a little cottage out in the woods that I found. It’s a small place- in good repair, fairly sweet. And, well, what’s a charming little forest cottage without a witch to live there? That is, if that’s the sort of thing that appeals to you.”  
She grinned, her cheeks still burning. “I think that sounds lovely, dear,” she replied quietly, taking Rosalind’s hand in hers.  
“Are you sure? I mean, I don’t want to tie you down- you’ll probably find it boring,” she began.  
The empty teacup dropped to the ground as she pulled Rosalind close. “I promise, living with you will be many things, but I’m sure I’ll never find it dull.” Briefly, she turned to Torrance, idly stroking the gold that had melted into her skin. “I suppose this is goodbye for now- you ought to get some rest as well.”  
He nodded. “I hope I’ll see you again.”  
“I’m sure you will- I’m fairly sure Nathaniel wasn’t the only corrupt wizard out there, and when I’m back to rights I’d like to look into that.” She hugged him briefly. “Have a good time at your new job.”  
“I will. Thanks for your help, Isabel.”  
She paused, then gave a wry smile. She leaned down and picked up the discarded teacup, then took Rosalind’s hand in her spare one. “See you later.”

 

The next morning, Torrance woke up with a sense of something unplaceable being off. He didn’t have much time to contemplate it, as the day was a busy one, with reconstruction of the tower’s physical structure and putting new windows into the dining room. While the equipment was thoroughly wrecked, Torrance managed to get the physical structure back in place long enough for the bricklayers to stabilize it. The cloud of magic floating overhead eventually dissipated, allowing the sun’s natural light to dominate the skies again. After helping with the building, he moved on to answering Leander’s questions about what exactly had passed the previous night as well as he could.  
It wasn’t until the next day, when he was browsing through the castle library to try and find out what information he had access to when it hit him.  
For the first time in what felt like ages, she had allowed herself to be Isabel.


End file.
